^t-f  tft  wfim 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


TERCENTE 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


J 


CONVENTIONAL  PORTRAIT  OF 
SAMUEL    CHAMPLAIN 


27 


Report 

o(  the 

Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission 
State  of  New  York 


Albany.  N.  Y.,  September  19,  191 1. 
To  the  Honorable  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Neli)  Yorl^: 

Pursuant  to  the  statute  in  such  case  made  and  provided,  we,  the  under- 
signed Commissioners,  submit  herewith  the  report  of  the  Lake  Cham- 
PLAiN  Tercentenary  Commission  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
Very  respectfully, 

H.  Wallace  Knapp,  Chairman, 

Henry  W.  Hill,  Secretary, 

Walter  C.  Witherbee,  Treasurer, 

John  H.  Booth, 

Louis  C.  Lafontaine, 

James  J.  Frawley, 

James  A.  Foley, 

James  Shea, 

John  B.  Riley, 

Howland  Pell, 

William  R.  Weaver, 

Commissioners. 


125921 4 


CONTENTS 


Part  ONE:    PREPARATION 

Page 

I.      Historical  Introduction 1 

il.     Evolution  of  the  Celebration  Project 11 

III.  Report  of  the  First  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission 19 

IV.  Federal  Recognition  and  Aid 41 

V.      Legislation  and  Organization 45 

VI.     Work  of  the  New  York  Commission 53 

Part  TWO:   CELEBRATION 

I.      General  Features:     Military  and  Naval  and  the  Indian  Pageants.  ...  71 

II.  Champlain    Sunday 91 

III.  Monday,  July  5 :     At  Crown  Point  Forts 115 

IV.  Tuesday,  July  6:     At  Ticonderoga 137 

V.  Wednesday,  July  7 :  At  Cliff  Haven,  Plattsburgh,  Plattsburgh  Barracks, 

and  Hotel  Champlain 1  89 

VI.      Thursday,  July  8 :     At  Burlington 251 

VII.      Friday,  July  9:     At  Isle  La  Motte 299 

VIII.      The  Proposed   Champlain   Memorial 337 

APPENDIX 

Samuel  Champlain  and  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary 353 

TTie  Geology  of  the  Champlain  Valley 369 

Episodes  in  the  History  of  the  Champlain  Valley 383 

What  Early  Travelers  Said  of  the  Champlain  Valley 401 

V'  Libretto  of  the  Play  of  Hiawatha 423 

INDEX 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


ConventioneJ  Portrait  of  Champlain Frontispiece 

Facing  Page 

President  WiUiam  Howaurd  Taft 8 

Governor  Charles  E.  Hughes  of  New  York 16 

Governor  George  H.  Prouty  of  Vermont 16 

Senator  Elihu  Root  of  New  York 24 

Hon.  Jacob  M.  Dickinson,  Secretary  of  Weir 24 

Hon.  J.  J.  Jussereind,  French  Ambassador 32 

Rt.  Hon.  James  Bryce,  British  Ambassador 32 

Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux,  Canadian  Postmeister-GenercJ 40 

Sir  Lomer  Gouin,  Premier  of  Quebec 40 

Lieutencmt  de  Vaisseau  Benoist  d'Azy 40 

H.  Wallace  Knapp 44 

Henry  W.  Hill 46 

Walter  C.  Witherbee 48 

James  J.  Frawley 50 

James  A.  Foley 52 

Jcunes  Shea 52 

William  R.  Weaver 54 

Howland  Pell 56 

John  H.  Booth 60 

John  B.  Riley.  . 62 

Louis  C.  Lafontciine 64 

Governor  Horace  White 66 

Hon.  George  R.  MeJby 68 

Hon.  David  J.  Foster 70 

Hon.  Frank  Plumley 70 

Lynn  M.  Hays 72 

Frank  L.  Fish 74 

John  M.  Thomas 76 

Horace  W.  Bailey 78 

Walter  H.  Crockett 80 

George  T.  Jarvis 80 

William  J.  Van  Patten 82 

F.  O.  Beaupre 84 

Arthur  F.  Stone 86 

Hon.  Seth  Low,  Hon.  Albert  C.  Barnes,  Dr.  Hamilton  W.  Mabie,  Hon.  Wen- 

deU  P.  Stafford :•■■.•  ^6 

Clinton   ScoUard,    Percy  Mac  Kaye,  Daniel  L.  Cady,  Prof.  John  Erskine,  Bliss 

Carman H  2 

Ruins  of  CroviTi  Point  Forts 120 

Crowds  Leaving  the  Steamers '20 

Governor  and  Mrs.  Hughes  Landing  at  Crown  Point 120 

Speakers  at  Crown  Point 1 20 


vu 


Illustrations 


Facins  Page 

President  Taft  Inspecting  Work  of  Restoration 136 

President  Taft  and  Party  Inspecting  Ruins 1  36 

Ruins  of    Fort  Ticonderoga I  36 

Assembling  of  Crowds  at  Fort  Ticonderoga 1  36 

Bishop  Richard  H.  Nelson,  Rt.  Rev.  Arthur  C.  A.  Hall,  Very  Rev.  Thomas  A. 

Prevel,  Mgr.  A.  Racicot !  84 

Mgr.  E.  P.  Roy,  Cardinal   Gibbons,  Rev.  P.   J.   Barrett,    Rt.Rev.  Thomas 

M.  A.   Burke 192 

Hotel   Champlciin 232 

Invitation  to  Banquet 232 

Floate  in  Plattsburgh  Parade 248 

Grandstand  Exercises  at  Plattsburgh  Bsu-racks 248 

Throngs  at  Plattsburgh  During  Tercentenary  Celebration 248 

President  Taft  and  Others  Siduting  the  Flag  at  Barracks 248 

Chairman   Knapp,  Commissioner  Witherbee,  Governor  and  Mrs.  Hughes  and 

Secretary  Treadwell 248 

Reviev/  of  Troops  at  Burlington  by  President  Taft 256 

Crowds  Listening  to  Speeches  at  Burlington,  July  8th 256 

Burlington's  Grandstand  During  Indian  Pageants 256 

President  Tcift,  Governor  Prouty,  Ambassadors  Jusserand  and  Bryce,  Governor 

Hughes,  Admiral  Uriu  and  Hon.  Seth  Low 256 

Governor-General's  Foot  Guards  from  Ottawa 256 

Mayor  W.  B.  Mooers  of  Plattsburgh,  New  York 296 

Mayor  James  E.  Burke  of  Burlington,  Vermont 296 

Senator  Henry  W.  Hill  Delivering  Address  at  Isle  La  Motte 304 

Witnessing  Indian  Pageants  at  Isle  La  Motte 304 

Boulder  Unveiled  at  Isle  La  Motte 304 

Tercentenary  Memorial  to  Ssmiuel  Champlain 336 

Monument,  Crab  Island,  Lake  Champlain 336 

Steamer  Vermont  During  the  celebration 352 

Cuts  of  Steamers  Phoenix,  Conquest,  General  Greene  and  Franklin 352 

Hull  of  Arnold's  Schooner,  Revenge 352 

Commodore  Macdonough's  Victory  at  Battle  of  Lake  Champlain 352 

Official  Invitation  to  the  Tercentenciry  Exercises 352 

The  Don  de  'Dieu 360 

Statue  of  Champlain  at  Chamiplain,  N.  Y 368 

Statue  of  Chcimpljun  at  St.  John,  N.  B 368 

Statue  of  Chaunplain  at  Quebec 368 

Souvenir  Badge  and  OfficicJ  Guest  Badge  of  New  York 376 

L.   O.  Armstrong 384 

Indian  Wm  Party  in  Canoes 400 

Scenes  from  Indian  Pageants 424 

Map  of  Restoration  of  Fort  Ticonderoga 432 

A  Plan  of  the  Town  and  Fort  of  Carillon 432 

Historical  Map  of  the  Champlain  Valley 464 


The 

Tercentenary  Celebration 

of  the 

Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain 


Part  One 


PREPARATION 

si 


I.  HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION 
The  Strife  for  Control 


Historical  Introduction 

By  Senator  Henry  Wayland  Hill,  Secretary  of  the  New  Yoik  Commission 

I.  The  Strife  for  Control 

IN  A  SURVEY  of  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  the  territory  comprising 
Eastern  Canada   and   the   northeastern  part  of   the   United  States, 

attention  is  drawn  to  the  skilful  navigator,  intrepid  explorer  and  dis- 
coverer of  Lake  Champlain,  who  brought  the  light  of  civilization  into 
that  valley,  and  was  the  first  white  man  to  set  foot  upon  the  soil  now 
embraced  in  the  confines  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Had  Samuel  Champlain  taken  possession  of  the  territory  of  New 
York  in  the  name  of  the  King,  Henry  IV,  whom  he  represented,  under 
the  claim  of  right  thereto  on  the  ground  of  discovery,  and  had  that 
possession  ripened  into  French  occupancy,  such  territory  might  even  now 
be  dominated  by  other  language,  laws  and  institutions  than  those  that 
did  prevail. 

The  results  of  the  French  settlement  in  and  occupancy  of  the  north- 
eastern provinces  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  seem  to  warrant  such  a 
conclusion.  The  nearest  approach  to  similar  conditions  in  New  York 
were  the  few  French  forts  and  French  settlements  in  the  Champlain 
valley  and  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  the  seigniorial 
grants  of  extensive  tracts  of  territory  in  and  about  Lake  Champlain, 
made  prior  to  the  conquest  of  Canada  by  the  British,  and  sought  to  be 
confirmed  at  the  International  Conference  at  Windmill  Point  in  1  766, 
"  involving,"  says  Lord  Dartmouth  in  an  official  communication  to 
Governor  Tryon,  November  4,  1  772,  "  a  consideration  of  great  difficulty 
and  delicacy,  and  by  no  means  of  a  nature  to  admit  of  an  hasty  decision." 

Its  confirmation  was  opposed  by  Edmund  Burke  before  his  Majesty's 
Commissioners  for  Trade  and  Plantations  on  November  1 2,  1  772,  he 


State  of  New  York 


having  requested  that  "  he  might  be  heard  by  his  counsel  as  well  in  behalf 
of  the  Province  of  New  York,  as  of  sundry  persons,  proprietors  of  lands 
within  the  said  Province  under  grants  from  the  Governor  and  Council 
thereof  against  the  confirmation  by  the  Crown  of  any  grant  made  by  the 
French  King  or  the  Governor  of  Canada  within  the  limits  of  the  said 
Province  of  New  York."  These  grants  were  not  upheld  for  reasons 
stated  elsewhere. 

These  settlements  were  wholly  ineffectual  in  making  any  permanent 
impression  upon  the  language,  laws  and  institutions  of  this  Province. 

In  the  evolution  of  National  development,  the  extent  and  permanency 
of  social  forces  largely  condition  their  effectiveness,  as  seen  in  the  impress 
made  upon  the  early  institutions  of  the  Province  of  New  York  by  the 
Dutch,  who  settled  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  Province  and  ruled 
it  for  half  a  century.  Had  the  French  followed  up  the  discovery  of 
Lake  Champlain  in  1609,  and  settled  and  permanently  occupied  the 
territory  south  of  the  45th  parallel  of  latitude,  as  effectively  as  did  the 
Dutch  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State,  the  result,  it  is  safe  to  say,  would 
have  been  vastly  different.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  a  part  of  New  York 
under  such  conditions  would  have  been  included  within  the  domain  of 
the  Dominion  of  Canada;  for  under  the  conditions  as  they  existed,  the 
Long  House  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  which  stretched  from  the 
Mohawk  on  the  east  to  Lake  Erie  on  the  west,  was  the  only  barrier  to  the 
predatory  incursions  and  warlike  expeditions  of  the  French  and  Indians 
from  the  Canadian  territory  on  the  north.  Anomalous  as  it  may  appear, 
that  was  made  so  largely  by  reason  of  the  batUe  on  Lake  Champlain 
between  the  Algonquins  and  Hurons  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Iroquois 
on  the  other,  in  which  Champlain's  use  of  firearms,  to  the  utter  surprise 
and  loss  to  the  Iroquois  of  three  of  their  chiefs,  made  them  thereafter 
deadly  enemies  of  the  French. 

This  hostility  of  the  Iroquois  to  the  French  was  one  of  the  principal 
causes  which  prevented  the  French  from  gaining  or  maintaining  a  perma- 
nent settlement  within  the  confines  of  the  Province  of  New  York.  Among 
other  causes,  however,  were  the  abandonment  or  loss  of  Ticonderoga 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


and  Crown  Point  in  1  759,  the  year  following  the  defeat  of  the  British 
under  General  Abercromby  at  Ticonderoga  by  the  French  under  the 
command  of  Montcalm.  This  gallant  officer  achieved  with  his  small 
force  of  less  than  4,000  men  so  signal  a  victory  over  the  British,  number- 
ing about  15,000,  as  to  prove  very  dispiriting  to  William  Pitt,  who  in  a 
communication  to  Grenville  said:  "  I  own  the  news  [from  the  Champlain 
valley]  has  sunk  my  spirits  and  left  very  painful  impressions  on  my 
mind." 

Notwithstanding  the  signal  victory  of  the  French  under  Montcalm  at 
Ticonderoga  in  1  758,  Governor  Vaudreuil,  said  to  be  jealous  of  Mont- 
calm, one  of  the  ablest  soldiers  France  had  ever  sent  into  the  field, 
assigned  de  Bourlamaque  to  the  command  of  the  French  posts  in  the 
Champlain  valley  in  place  of  Montcalm,  who  was  needed  for  the  defense 
of  Quebec ;  and  shortly  after  ordered  de  Bourlamaque  "  not  to  think 
of  defending  Forts  Carillon  and  Frederic,  but  to  abandon  them  as  the 
British  approached  and  fall  back  to  Isle  aux  Noix."  This  was  done,  as 
General  Amherst,  who  succeeded  Abercromby  in  command  of  the 
British  forces,  advanced  from  Lake  George  with  large  reinforcements, 
comprising  an  army  of  5,743  regulars,  including  Royal  Americans  and 
Colonial  troops.  As  the  British  under  General  Amherst  were  about  to 
assault  the  works  at  Ticonderoga,  de  Bourlamaque  retired  from  Fort 
Carillon  to  Fort  Frederic;  and  thence,  on  July  31,  1759,  after  blowing 
up  the  latter  fort,  withdrew  to  Isle  aux  Noix  with  his  artillery  and  such 
provisions  as  he  could  transport.  This  was  approximately  1  50  years, 
to  a  month,  of  French  occupancy  since  the  discovery  of  the  lake  by 
Champlain. 

The  period  of  French  domination  was  followed  by  British  possession 
and  occupation  and  the  thrilling  events  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle  for 
the  independence  of  the  Colonies,  with  Vermont  an  independent  republic, 
not  yet  admitted  into  the  Union  nor  recognized  by  the  other  thirteen  states, 
but  still  loyal  to  the  cause  which  led  to  their  independence.  The  various 
military  expeditions  through  the  Champlain  valley,  and  the  two  cele- 
brated naval  engagements  on  the  lake,  had  an  important  bearing  upon 


State  of  New  York 


the  sovereign  control  of  that  part  of  our  National  domain,  and  exerted 
a  marked  influence  on  American  institutions  in  the  formative  period  of 
their  history.  Three  nations  there  contended  for  the  possession  of  that 
"  Gateway  of  the  Nation."  The  military  ruins  still  to  be  seen  attest  its 
strategic  importance  in  three  wars  for  the  sovereign  control  of  that 
territory. 

Long  prior  to  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  it  was  the  theater  of 
the  fierce  and  bloody  encounters  upon  its  waters  of  the  three  most  power- 
ful of  the  savage  nations,  namely,  the  Iroquois,  the  Algonquins  and  the 
Hurons.  Many  are  the  legends  handed  down  from  that  remote  period 
of  the  struggles  that  made  it  impossible  for  any  of  these  aboriginal  nations 
to  gain  a  permanent  settlement  along  the  shores  of  the  lake;  struggles 
which  resulted  in  driving  them  back  to  the  strongholds  and  fastnesses 
of  the  mountain  sides  overhanging  the  lake,  and  into  the  valleys  and  up 
the  hillsides  surrounding  it.  It  was  a  paradise  for  the  aborigines,  whose 
native  costumes,  and  adventurous  but  precarious  life  were  a  startling 
revelation  to  such  an  explorer  as  Champlain,  coming  as  he  did  from  the 
refinements  of  the  French  courts  of  the  1 6th  and  1  7th  centuries.  These 
warlike  tribes  continued  to  traverse  the  lake  long  after  its  discovery. 
Their  canoes  formed  picturesque  flotillas  on  its  blue  waters  surrounded 
by  densely  shaded,  lofty  and  alluring  mountains,  which  ever  since  have 
been  the  admiration  of  tourists. 

The  first  attempted  settlement  of  the  whites  in  the  valley  was  at  Isle 
La  Motte,  once  the  camping  ground  of  the  Algonquin  and  Iroquois 
Indians,  where  a  Jesuit  mission  station  was  established  in  1642.  A  fort 
was  built  there  by  Sieur  de  la  Motte  in  1 665-6,  which  was  dedicated  to 
Ste.  Anne  on  the  26th  day  of  July.  1666,  when  high  mass  was  cele- 
brated for  the  first  time,  in  the  presence  of  the  famous  Carignan-Salieres 
Regiment  of  600  veterans  and  1 50  Indians  that  had  rendezvoused  there 
at  the  command  of  M.  de  Tracy. 

Thereafter  Fort  Ste.  Anne  was  the  stopping  place  for  such  expeditions 
as  those  under  Captain  John  Schuyler  in  1690,  Major  Peter  Schuyler  in 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


1 691 ,  Captain  John  Schuyler  on  September  2,  i  698,  and  Richard  Mont- 
gomery and  General  Philip  Schuyler  in  1  775. 

Parkman  has  said :  "  Through  the  midst  of  the  great  Canadian  wilder- 
ness stretched  Lake  Champlain  pointing  straight  to  the  heart  of  the  British 
settlements  —  a  watery  thoroughfare  of  neutral  attack,  and  the  only 
approach  by  which  without  a  long  detour  by  wilderness  or  sea  a  hostile 
army  could  come  within  striking  distance  of  the  colony." 

In  1  73 1  the  settlement  was  begun  at  Windmill  Point,  where  a  stone 
windmill  was  built.  In  1 73 1  Fort  St.  Frederic  was  built  at  Crown 
Point  in  honor  of  the  French  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs,  Frederic 
Maurepas,  by  Marquis  de  Beauharnois,  Governor-General  of  Canada; 
and  in  1  755  Fort  Carillon  was  built  at  Ticonderoga,  and  attempted 
settlements  were  made  at  each  of  these  places  and  at  Chimney  Point; 
the  latter  place  was  said  to  be  abandoned  when  visited  by  Robert  Rogers, 
the  famous  scout,  in  1  756. 

In  I  755  Baron  Dieskau,  in  command  of  3,573  men,  including  such 
troops  as  could  be  assembled  at  Montreal,  made  an  expedition  through 
the  lake  to  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga,  where  he  left  detachments  of 
troops;  and  marching  southward,  engaged  the  British  troops  under  com- 
mand of  General  William  Johnson  at  the  head  of  Lake  George,  where 
General  Dieskau  was  wounded.  The  latter  was  taken  a  prisoner  to  the 
tent  of  General  Johnson;  his  forces  were  repulsed  and  retreated  to  Ticon- 
deroga. Montcalm  succeeded  him  in  command,  proceeded  up  the  lake 
with  his  forces  in  200  canoes  and  arrived  at  Fort  Carillon  in  July,  1  757. 
After  some  months  devoted  to  preparation,  he  succeeded  in  taking  Fort 
William  Henry. 

Captain  Robert  Rogers  and  Captain  Israel  Putnam,  while  the  French 
were  at  Lake  George,  attempted  to  capture  Fort  St.  Frederic,  but 
without  avail.  Of  this  entire  period  the  historian,  Peter  S.  Palmer, 
says:  "The  lake  now  presented  a  most  lively  appearance;  canoes, 
bateaux  and  schooners  were  constantly  passing  and  repassing  between 
Canada  and  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga,  transporting  troops  from 
point  to  point,  and  were  loaded  with  supplies  and  ammunition.    It  so  con- 


State  of  New  York 


tinued  during  the  Revolutionary  period."  Following  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  settlements  were  made  about  Lake  Champlain,  the  most 
important  of  which  was  that  of  Major  Philip  Skene  at  Skenesborough, 
now  Whitehall,  in  1  76!,  although  a  settlement  was  undoubtedly  effected 
at  Swanton  Falls  sometime  prior  thereto,  and  several  other  settlements 
were  formed  about  the  lake  from  that  time  on.  One  of  the  most  thrilling 
episodes  in  Champlain  history  was  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  by  Ethan 
Allen  and  the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  on  May  10,  1775,  and  on  the 
following  morning  Colonel  Warner  captured  Crown  Point. 

On  May  14th  of  that  year  Captain  Benedict  Arnold  proceeded  with 
a  small  force  on  a  schooner  down  the  lake  toward  St.  John's,  where  he 
seized  a  sloop,  and  immediately  returned  up  the  river  and  reached  Crown 
Point  in  safety.  These  daring  exploits  won  popular  confidence  in  the 
ultimate  success  of  the  Colonies,  and  it  was  decided  to  assemble  such 
troops  as  were  available  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  In  the 
meantime  boats  were  built  at  Skenesborough,  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point  for  transportation  down  the  lake  to  meet  the  forces  assembling 
under  Governor  Sir  Guy  Carleton  on  the  Richelieu  river.  Brigadier- 
General  Richard  Montgomery  embarked  at  Crown  Point  on  September 
4,  1 775,  with  such  troops  as  were  there,  and  was  followed  by  General 
Philip  Schuyler  with  the  remaining  troops.  General  Schuyler  overtook 
Montgomery  at  Isle  La  Motte,  and  they  proceeded  to  Isle  aux  Noix, 
which  they  fortified  to  prevent  the  passage  of  any  sloop  up  the  river  into 
the  lake.  General  Montgomery  afterwards  captured  St.  John's  and 
Montreal,  and  proceeded  to  Quebec,  where  he  afterwards  lost  his  life  in 
attempting  to  scale  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  while  General  Schuyler, 
owing  to  ill  health,  returned  to  Albany. 

In  the  spring  of  1  776  General  Sullivan,  finding  the  American  forces 
reduced  by  sickness,  desertion  and  death,  decided  to  abandon  the  con- 
quest of  Canada,  and  to  return  to  Ticonderoga.  The  sick  were  taken 
on  board  boats  at  St.  John's  the  last  of  June  and  transported  to  Isle  aux 
Noix,  Point  au  Per,  and  Isle  La  Motte.  Point  au  Fer  was  fortified,  and 
the  sick  there  cared  for  until  they  could  be  sent  to  Crown  Point,  which 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


transfer  was  made  under  most  unfavorable  circumstances,  in  leaky  boats, 
with  more  or  less  exposure  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  Benjamin 
Franklin,  in  returning  from  Montreal  to  Ticonderoga  in  June,  I  776,  was 
conveyed  in  a  similar  manner,  in  an  open  boat,  although  seventy  years 
of  age  and  not  in  the  best  of  health. 

The  preparation  for  the  naval  engagements  on  Lake  Champlain  taxed 
the  resources  of  the  colonists  about  Lake  Champlain  in  the  building  and 
equipping  of  a  small  fleet  in  command  of  Benedict  Arnold,  which 
engaged  the  enemy  at  Valcour  Island  on  October  11,1  776.  Captain 
Pringle  was  in  charge  of  the  British  fleet,  which  was  larger  and  better 
equipped  and  heavier  gunned  than  the  American  fleet.  The  skill  and 
bravery  exhibited  by  Benedict  Arnold  on  that  occasion  won  for  him 
the  plaudits  of  General  Washington  and  the  Continental  Congress,  and 
his  escape  with  such  of  his  vessels  as  were  not  destroyed,  is  considered 
one  of  the  remarkable  achievements  in  the  annals  of  American  naval 
warfare.  Several  places  in  and  about  the  lake  were  made  memorable 
by  that  engagement,  which  consisted  of  two  engagements,  one  on  the  1  1  th 
and  one  on  the  13th  of  October,  and  extended  through  a  large  portion 
of  the  lake;  and  though  he  was  unsuccessful  in  overcoming  the  stronger 
British  fleet,  he  acquitted  himself  with  such  adroitness  and  valor  as  to 
satisfy  the  colonists  that  in  such  commanders  as  he  there  were  not  lacking 
naval  and  military  qualities  of  a  high  order. 

Captain  A.  T.  Mahan,  in  an  article  in  Scribners  Magazine  for  Feb- 
ruary, 1 898,  says :  "  Considering  its  raw  material  and  the  recency  of  its 
organization,  words  can  scarcely  exaggerate  the  heroism  of  the  resistance 
which  undoubtedly  depended  chiefly  upon  the  military  qualities  of  its 
leader;  the  little  American  navy  on  Lake  Champlain  was  wiped  out, 
but  never  had  any  force,  big  or  little,  lived  to  better  purpose  or  died  more 
gloriously,  for  it  saved  the  lake  for  that  year." 

Crown  Point  fell  as  a  result  of  the  defeat  of  the  American  navy,  and 
was  occupied  by  the  British  for  two  weeks,  when  General  Carleton 
became  satisfied  that  Ticonderoga  was  sufficiently  manned  by  the  force 
under  General  Gates  to  withstand  an  assault.    On  November  3d  General 


8  State  of  New  York 

Carleton  withdrew  his  troops  to  Canada,  and  the  force  under  General 
Gates  at  Ticonderoga  immediately  took  possession  of  it. 

During  the  following  year  Lake  Champlain  was  the  scene  of  the  most 
important  military  expedition,  under  the  command  of  General  John 
Burgoyne,  who  with  his  troops  embarked  at  St.  John's  on  vessels,  and 
proceeded  through  the  lake,  feasting  400  Indians,  including  the  Iroquois, 
Algonquins,  Abenakis  and  Ottawas,  at  a  camp  upon  the  River  Boquet, 
at  Willsborough,  on  June  21,  1777,  on  which  occasion  he  appealed  to 
them  to  unite  with  his  Majesty's  forces  in  America  in  making  war  against 
the  common  enemy.  Answer  was  made  to  this  speech  by  the  chief  of 
the  Iroquois,  in  which  he  said:  "  In  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  our  pro- 
fessions, our  whole  villages  able  to  go  to  war,  are  come  forth."  Bur- 
goyne was  censured  in  Parliament  by  Fox.  Burke  and  Chatham,  for 
employing  Indians  as  a  part  of  his  military  forces.  His  defeat  at  Saratoga 
wrought  his  discomfiture  and  his  condemnation  by  Parliament. 

After  the  withdrawal  of  his  forces  from  Lake  Champlain,  it  con- 
tinued to  be  the  scene  of  military  expeditions  and  "  mysterious  naval 
movements  of  the  British,"  whose  vessels  frequently  entered  the  lake  and 
"  kept  the  northern  frontier,"  says  Palmer,  "  in  a  state  of  ceaseless 
inquietude  and  alarm." 

The  British  did  not  give  up  possession  of  Point  au  Fer  until  1  788, 
five  years  after  the  treaty  of  peace.  Thereafter  Lake  Champlain  passed 
into  the  sovereign  control  of  the  United  States  and  so  remained  until 
the  second  war  with  Great  Britain. 

The  naval  engagement  on  Lake  Champlain  in  the  War  of  1812  was 
one  of  the  two  principal  engagements  of  the  American  navy,  and  was 
conducted  with  much  skill  on  the  part  of  Commander  Thomas  Mac- 
donough,  in  command  of  the  American  fleet,  against  Captain  George 
Downie,  in  command  of  the  British  fleet,  which  was  larger  and  heavier 
gunned.  Mr.  Walter  H.  Crockett,  in  his  "  History  of  Lake  Champlain," 
says  that  the  American  fleet  consisted  of  fourteen  craft,  aggregating 
2,244  tons,  manned  by  882  men  and  carrying  86  guns,  and  that  the 
British  fleet  was  composed  of  16  vessels,  aggregating  2,402  tons,  carry- 


CopyrIf;)it  an.l  by  courtesy  nf  n;irris  ,V   K^iri-,   \V;ishingt.)n,   I'    (_'. 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAM  HOWARD  TAFT 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


ing  approximately  937  men  and  92  guns.*  The  engagement  lasted  two 
hours  and  a  half,  and  nearly  every  spar  on  both  fleets  was  shot  away. 
Macdonough's  victory  was  complete,  and  a  gold  medal  was  awarded  to 
Macdonough  by  Congress,  thanking  him  for  his  "  decisive  and  splendid 
victory."  Theodore  Roosevelt,  in  his  "  Naval  War  of  1812,"  pays  this 
tribute  to  him:  "  Macdonough,  in  this  battle,  won  a  higher  fame  than 
any  other  commander  of  the  war.  *  *  *  Down  to  the  time  of  the 
Civil  War  he  is  the  greatest  figure  in  our  naval  history."  Hiis  victory 
cleared  Lake  Champlain  of  British  war  vessels,  and  made  the  lake 
famous  the  world  over. 

Since  that  time  its  sovereign  control  by  the  United  States  has  been 
secure,  and  its  waters  became  the  highways  of  a  peaceful  and  prosperous 
commerce,  and  its  attractiveness  and  beauty  have  been  such  as  to  engage 
the  attention  of  Americans  and  tourists  from  other  lands,  who  are  wont 
to  compare  it  with  the  Lakes  of  Como,  Lugano  and  Maggiore,  the  resorts 
for  centuries  of  pleasure  seekers  of  European  nations. 


*  Neeser's  "Statistical  Tables  of  the  U.  S.  Navy"  states  that  Downie  had   16  vessels,  carrying 
95  guns  and  897  men. 


II.    EVOLUTION  OF  THE  CELEBRATION  PROJECT 


II 


II.    EVOLUTION  OF  THE  CELEBRATION  PROJECT 

THE  DECISIVE  EVENTS  which  have  been  noted  may  serve  to  point  out 
the  successive  periods  of  domination  in  the  Champlain  valley,  by 
the  aborigines,  by  the  French,  the  British,  and  the  American 
patriots.  Without  entering  here  more  fully  upon  the  general  course  of 
history,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Champlain  valley,  even  in  its  wars,  rivals 
in  importance  any  other  portion  of  our  national  domain,  the  greater  battle- 
fields of  the  Civil  War  alone  excepted.  But  the  significance  of  its  history 
is  not  merely  in  its  military  record.  It  has  been  closely  identified  with 
many  of  the  great  civic  events  and  political  movements  which  have  exerted 
a  marked  influence  upon  the  character  of  our  institutions.  In  its  story  are 
inseparably  woven  events  of  colonial,  state,  national  and  international  sig- 
nificance, many  of  which  have  had  a  direct  bearing  on  the  course  of  our 
national  life  and  in  moulding  our  institutions. 

The  marking  of  anniversaries  of  historic  events  with  celebrations  of 
an  historic  character,  has  long  been,  in  many  lands,  a  popular  and  a 
worthy  form  of  commemoration.  The  use  of  historic  costumes,  of  floats 
and  other  devices  in  brilliant  pageants,  has  especially  in  recent  years  come 
into  high  favor,  notably  on  great  historical  occasions  at  London,  Warwick, 
St.  John  and  Quebec.  At  the  last  two  named,  the  celebrations  com- 
memorated the  exploits  and  fame  of  Samuel  Champlain.  The  people 
of  the  Champlain  valley,  desirous  of  suitably  observing  the  300th  anni- 
versary of  its  discovery,  early  conceived  the  idea  of  an  historical  celebra- 
tion, which  should  combine  historical  or  symbolic  pageantry  with  appro- 
priate religious  and  literary  features. 

The  interest  of  the  American  people  in  such  celebration  as  that  at 
Yorktown  in  1881,  the  centennial  of  the  inauguration  of  George  Wash- 
ington as  the  first  President  of  the  United  States  at  New  York  in  1889, 
the  historic  phases  of  the  Philadelphia  Exposition  of  1 876,  the  Columbian 

13 


14  State  of  New  York 

Exposition  at  Chicago  in  1893,  the  St.  Louis  Exposition  of  1904,  and 
still  others,  leaves  no  room  for  doubt  but  that  Americans,  quite  as  gen- 
erally as  the  people  of  other  nations,  are  deeply  concerned  in  whatever  has 
contributed  in  any  way  to  the  extent  and  development  of  their  country 
and  to  the  formation  and  character  of  its  civil  and  religious  institutions. 
They  believe  that  the  more  these  are  studied  and  the  better  they  are  under- 
stood, the  stronger  will  be  the  reliance  of  the  people  on  the  broad  and 
humane  principles  that  underlie  the  fabric  of  our  republican  form  of 
government,  for  whose  preservation  should  be  begot  in  the  minds  of  all 
classes  unwavering  loyalty  and  the  willingness  to  pour  out  the  last  full 
measure  of  personal  devotion.  The  historic  portions  of  our  country, 
young  in  years  though  they  be,  have  been  the  theaters  where  have  been 
enacted  deadly  tragedies,  involving  human  life  and  our  national  sov- 
ereignty and  are  therefore  suggestive  of  many  examples  of  true  and 
lofty  patriotism,  "  the  type  most  needed  in  this  age  and  most  useful  to 
mankind,"  as  was  said  by  the  historian,  Lecky,  in  defining  an  ideal.  The 
discovery,  subjugation  and  settlement  of  various  parts  of  the  country 
involved  efforts,  sacrifices  and  hardships  on  the  part  of  many,  worthy 
of  emulation,  and  these  through  pageant,  realistic  presentation,  or  other- 
wise, cannot  too  often  be  called  to  the  attention  of  successive  generations, 
destined  to  occupy  and  ultimately  to  control  this  land,  dedicated  as  it  is 
to  the  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

Love  of  country  is  born  of  a  knowledge  of  its  institutions,  its  traditions 
and  history,  wherein  are  revealed  the  lives  of  its  people  and  their  heroic 
achievements.  Such  motives  as  these  from  time  to  time  have  actuated 
the  people  of  this  country  to  celebrate  some  of  the  important  events  in  our 
history  and  led  to  the  inception  of  the  Tercentenary  Celebration  of  the 
Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  by  Samuel  Champlain  in  the  month  of 
July,  1609,  which  with  attending  circumstances  proved  to  be  crucial 
in  determining  the  character  of  the  language,  laws  and  institutions  of  the 
people  of  the  Province  of  New  York.  It  was  thought  that  such  a  cele- 
bration might  also  very  properly  commemorate  some  of  the  thrilling 
events  of  state,  national  and  international  import,  that  occurred  in  the 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  15 

Champlain  valley  during  the  two  centuries  following  its  discovery,  for 
no  other  part  of  our  domain  is  richer  in  historic  lore.  This  conception 
of  the  scope  of  the  celebration  was  largely  realized  as  will  be  seen  from  a 
perusal  of  the  programme  of  exercises  that  followed. 

The  Quebec  Tercentenary,  under  the  direction  of  the  well  known 
manager,  Frank  Lascelles,  a  graduate  of  Oxford,  who  was  consulted  on 
several  occasions  in  relation  to  the  scope  of  the  Champlain  celebration, 
was  such  a  success  that  the  people  of  Vermont  and  New  York  con- 
cluded that  a  celebration  less  pretentious  and  less  spectacular,  but  still 
realistic  enough  to  picture  the  discovery  and  aboriginal  life  of  the  Cham- 
plain valley  and  extensive  enough  to  recall  some  of  the  stirring  events 
which  have  made  Lake  Champlain  famous  in  two  hemispheres,  might  very 
properly  engage  the  attention  and  warrant  the  participation  of  these 
states  and  of  the  Federal  Government  in  its  preparation  and  fulfillment. 

To  Vermont  belongs  the  credit  of  taking  the  first  official  action  in  the 
matter.  Early  in  November,  1906,  the  Hon.  Robert  W.  McCuen,  a 
member  from  Vergennes,  introduced  in  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
Vermont,  a  resolution  which,  as  finally  adopted  and  approved  by 
Governor  Proctor,  November  15th,  read  as  follows: 

Joint  Resolution  for  the  Appointment  of  a  Commission  for  the 
Three  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Discovery  of  Lake 
Champlain. 

Resolved  b^)  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives: 

Whereas,  The  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  was  an  event  in  history  fully  as 
important  as  many  others  that  have  been  recognized  by  various  States,  as  well  as  by 
the  National  Government,  and 

Whereas,  The  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  such  discovery  will  occur  on 
July  4,  1 909,  it  is  hereby 

Resolved,  By  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives:  That  this  event  should 
be  observed  in  a  fitting  manner,  and  to  bring  about  an  observance  commensurate 
with  its  importance  there  is  hereby  provided  a  commission  consisting  of  the  Governor, 
who  shall  be  chairman,  ex  officio,  and  six  other  members  to  be  appointed  by  the 
Governor  before  January    1,    1907,   one  of  whom  shall  act  as  secretary.      Said 


State  of  New  York 


commission  is  hereby  empowered  to  adopt  such  measures  as  in  its  judgment  may 
be  reasonable  or  necessary  to  bring  about  the  fitting  observance  of  such  event.  And, 
as  the  interests  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada  are  allied 
with  those  of  Vermont  in  such  observance,  it  is  hereby  recommended  that  said 
commission  confer  with  the  proper  authorities  of  New  York  and  Canada  to  ascer- 
tain what  action  they  or  either  of  them  will  take  with  Vermont  in  making  the  observ- 
ance of  this  event  successful  and  a  credit  to  all:  and  that  the  commission  report  the 
result  of  such  efforts,  together  with  its  recommendations  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  1908. 

The  members  of  said  commission  shall  receive  no  pay  for  services  rendered, 
except  their  necessary  expenses. 

The  secretary  of  said  commission  shall  be  allowed  such  sum  for  services  rendered 
as  may  be  fixed  by  said  commission. 

The  Auditor  of  Accounts  is  hereby  authorized  to  draw  an  order  for  such 
expenses  and  allowance  when  approved  by  the  Governor. 

Thomas  C.  Cheney, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
George  H.  Prouty, 

President  of  the  Senate. 
Approved  November   15,   1906. 

Fletcher  D.  Proctor, 

Covernor. 

Immediately  upon  its  approval.  Governor  Proctor  called  the  matter 
to  the  attention  of  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill,  of  Buffalo,  who  was  at  Mont- 
pelier,  Vt.,  at  the  time,  and  suggested  that  he  prepare  and  introduce  a 
similar  resolution  in  the  Legislature  of  New  York. 

Governor  Proctor,  who  was  ex  officio  chairman  of  the  Vermont  Com- 
mission, appointed  as  the  other  members  thereof  the  following  gentle- 
men: Walter  E.  Howard,  Lynn  M.  Hays,  Horace  W.  Bailey,  M.  D. 
McMahon.  R.  W.  McCuen  and  Walter  H.  Crockett. 

Some  members  of  the  Vermont  Commission  presented  the  matter  to 
Governor  Hughes,  Senators  H.  Wallace  Knapp,  Henry  W.  Hill  and 
others,  at  Albany,  and  also  to  Sir  Wilfred  Laurier  at  Ottawa.  Both 
executives  were  impressed  with  the  importance  and  desirability  of  such 


^^^^^^^p^ll^ 

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B^..^ 

~i  ;W«K^l?-f<!'«M»>!K;'»i'»«'i'if  »"^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Copyriglit  and  by  courtesy  of  Moffett  Studio,  Chicago,  III, 

GOVERNOR  CHARLES  E.  HUGHES 


GOVERNOR  GEORGE  H.  PROUTY 
Chairman  of  the  Vermont  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  17 

a  celebration.  On  April  1 5,  1 907,  Senator  Hill  offered  in  the  Senate  of 
New  York  the  following  concurrent  resolution,  which  passed  the  Senate 
that  day  and  the  Assembly  on  the  next  day : 

Whereas,  The  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  by  Samuel  Champlain  in 
July,  1  609,  antedates  the  discovery  by  the  whites  of  any  other  portion  of  the  terri- 
tory now  comprising  the  State  of  New  York,  and  was  an  event  worthy  of  com- 
memoration in  the  annals  of  the  State  and  nation;  and 

Whereas,  The  State  of  Vermont,  in  I  906,  appointed  a  commission  consisting 
of  the  Governor  of  that  State  and  six  other  commissioners,  to  confer  with  commis- 
sioners to  be  appointed  on  the  part  of  New  York  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
to  ascertain  what  action,  if  any,  ought  to  be  taken  by  such  States  and  the  Dominion 
of  Canada  for  the  observance  of  such  tercentenary;  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved  (if  the  Assembly  concur) ,  That  a  commission,  consisting  of  the 
Governor,  who  shall  be  chairman  ex  officio,  two  citizens  to  be  designated  by  him,  the 
Lieutenant-Governor,  the  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  two  Senators,  to  be  designated 
by  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  two  members  of  the  Assembly,  to  be  designated 
by  the  Speaker,  be  appointed  to  represent  the  State  of  New  York  at  such  confer- 
ence, with  power  to  enter  into  negotiations  with  the  commissioners  representing  the 
State  of  Vermont  and  those  representing  the  Dominion  of  Canada  for  the  observance 
of  such  tercentenary,  and  that  such  commission  report  the  results  of  their  negotia- 
tions, together  with  their  recommendations  thereon,  to  the  Legislature  of  1  908. 

That  such  commissioners  receive  no  pay  for  their  services  and  that  their  necessary 
expenses  be  paid  by  the  State,  but  such  payment  shall  not  exceed  the  amount 
expressly  appropriated  therefor; 

Resolved  (if  the  Assembly  concur),  Tliat  the  resolution  relating  to  the  same 
subject,  introduced  by  Senator  Hill,  passed  by  the  Senate  on  the  tenth  day  of  April, 
and  concurred  in  by  the  Assembly,  be  and  is  hereby  rescinded. 

In  support  of  the  resolution  Senator  Hill  dwelt  upon  the  fact  that 
Champlain  was  the  first  white  man  to  enter  what  is  now  New  York  State. 
He  called  attention  to  the  great  part  the  Champlain  valley  has  sustained 
as  a  highway  both  for  the  passage  of  war  parties  and  of  armies,  and  of 
the  messengers  of  peace,  of  civilization  and  of  commerce.  Its  agreeable 
summer  climate  and  scenic  charm  were  additional  arguments  in  favor  of 
the  proposed  celebration. 


18  State  of  New  York 

Under  this  concurrent  resolution  of  April  15,  1907,  was  created  the 
Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission  of  New  York  State.  The 
report  of  that  first  or  preliminary  commission  was  sent  to  the  Senate  by 
Governor  Hughes  on  March  23,  1908.  As  it  contains  a  full  record  of 
the  action  taken  in  behalf  of  New  York  State,  up  to  the  time  when  it  was 
sent  to  the  Senate,  and  includes  many  matters  germane  thereto,  it  may 
properly  constitute  the  next  chapter  in  our  narrative  and  is  given  in  full, 
in  the  following  pages. 


III.  REPORT  OF  THE  FIRST  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 
TERCENTENARY  COMMISSION 

April   15,   1907.  to  March  23.    1908 
19 


III.  REPORT  OF  THE  FIRST  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 
TERCENTENARY  COMMISSION 

To  the  Legislature  of  the  Stale  of  Nerv  York: 

The  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission  of  New  York  State 
respectfully  submits  the  following  report  of  action  taken,  and  suggestions 
for  proposed  action  in  the  matter  for  which  the  Commission  was  created. 

April  15,  1907,  Mr.  Hill  offered  in  the  Senate  the  following  Con- 
current Resolution,  authorizing  the  appointment  of  a  commission  to  con- 
fer with  Commissioners  from  Vermont  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada  in 
relation  to  the  observance  of  the  tercentenary  of  Lake  Champlain : 

RESOLUTION  CREATING  THE  COMMISSION 
Whereas,    The    discovery    of    Lake    Champlain    by    Samuel    Champlain,    on 
July  4,    1609,  antedates  the  discovery  by  the  whites  of  any  other  portion  of  the 
territory  now  comprising  the  State  of  New  York,   and  was  an  event  worthy  of 
commemoration  in  the  annals  of  the  State  and  nation,  and 

Whereas,  The  State  of  Vermont,  in  1906,  appointed  a  commission  consisting 
of  the  Governor  of  that  State  and  six  other  commissioners,  to  confer  with  com- 
missioners to  be  appointed  on  the  part  of  New  York  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
to  ascertain  what  action,  if  any,  ought  to  be  taken  by  such  States  and  the  Dominion 
of  Canada  for  the  observance  of  such  tercentenary; 

Therefore,  be  it  Resolved  (if  the  Assembly  concur),  that  a  commission,  consist- 
ing of  the  Governor,  who  shall  be  chairman  ex  officio,  two  citizens  to  be  designated 
by  him,  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  the  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  two  Senators,  to  be 
designated  by  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  two  members  of  the  Assembly,  to  be 
designated  by  the  Speaker,  be  appointed  to  represent  the  State  of  Nev/  York  at 
such  conference,  with  power  to  enter  into  negotiations  with  the  commissioners 
representing  the  State  of  Vermont  and  those  representing  the  Dominion  of  Canada 
for  the  observance  of  such  tercentenary,  and  that  such  commission  report  the  results 
of  their  negotiations,  together  with  their  recommendations  thereon,  to  the  Legislature 
of  1908. 

That  such  commissioners  receive  no  pay  for  their  services  and  that  their  necessary 
expenses  be  paid  by  the  State,  but  such  payment  shall  not  exceed  the  amount 
expressly  appropriated  therefor. 

21 


22  State  of  New  York 

The  foregoing  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Senate  April  15,  1907, 
and  by  the  Assembly  concurring  without  amendment  April  1 6,  1 907. 

For  the  expenses  of  the  Commissioners  appointed  under  this  resolution, 
$2,000,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  was  appropriated  by 
Chapter  578  of  the  Laws  of  1907. 

Governor  Hughes  appointed  as  members  of  said  Commission  the  Hon. 
Frank  S.  Witherbee  of  Port  Henry,  and  the  Hon.  John  H.  Booth  of 
Plattsburgh. 

The  Lieutenant-Governor  designated  the  Hon.  Henry  W.  Hill  of 
Buffalo,  and  the  Hon.  John  C.  R.  Taylor  of  Middletown. 

The  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  named  the  Hon.  Alonson  T.  Dominy 
of  Beekmantown,  and  the  Hon.  James  A.  Foley  of  New  York  city. 

JOINT  MEETING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  AND  VERMONT 
COMMISSIONS 

At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  New  York  and  Vermont  Commissions, 
held  at  Hotel  Champlain,  Bluff  Point,  September  6,  1907,  His  Excel- 
lency Governor  Hughes  presiding,  Governor  Proctor,  of  Vermont,  and 
six  members  of  the  Vermont  Commission  were  present,  as  were  also  all 
of  the  New  York  Commission,  except  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  the 
Speaker,  and  the  Hon.  Frank  S.  Witherbee,  absent  in  Europe.  Mr. 
Victor  H.  Paltsits,  State  Historian  of  New  York,  also  attended  by 
invitation.  Mr.  Frank  H.  Severance  of  Buffalo  was  chosen  Secretary 
of  the  New  York  State  Commission. 

The  Chairman  stated  the  general  purpose  of  the  Commissions  and  the 
desirability  of  reaching  definite  suggestions  for  carrying  out  the  work. 
On  motion  of  Senator  Hill,  a  sub-committee  of  three  was  created,  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Chair,  the  Governor  being  Chairman  ex  officio  of  the 
said  sub-committee,  who  should  confer  with  the  Secretary  of  State  at 
Washington  as  to  advisable  steps  to  be  taken  in  regard  to  bringing  the 
proposed  celebration  to  the  attention  of  the  Republic  of  France,  the 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  23 

The  sub-committee  subsequently  appomted  consisted  of  Hon.  Henry 
W.  Hill,  Chairman;  Hon.  Frank  S.  Witherbee  and  Hon.  John  H. 
Booth. 

A  TOUR  OF  INSPECTION 

A  tour  of  inspection  of  historic  sites  on  Lake  Champlain  having  been 
determined  upon,  members  of  the  two  Commissions,  including  the 
Governor  of  New  York,  the  Governor  of  Vermont,  and  a  few  guests, 
left  Hotel  Champlain  on  the  morning  of  September  7,  1907,  on  two 
yachts. 

As  they  passed  northward,  places  of  historic  interest  were  pointed  out, 
and  every  island,  every  bay  and  headland,  was  found  to  have  its  asso- 
ciations. The  attention  of  your  Commission  was  especially  directed  at 
the  outset  to  Valcour  island,  just  off  the  New  York  shore  near  Platts- 
burgh.  TTiis  island,  now  in  part  owned  by  the  Federal  Government, 
has  played  an  important  part  in  three  wars.  On  October  1 3,  I  759, 
Captain  Loring  of  Amherst's  army  pursued  a  French  schooner  and 
three  sloops  under  the  shelter  of  Valcour.  Two  of  the  sloops  were  here 
sunk,  and  the  third  was  run  aground  by  her  crew.  The  naval  engage- 
ment of  October  11,1  776,  between  the  American  and  British  fleets,  was 
off  Valcour;  which  was  also  within  the  theater  of  the  engagement  of 
September  II,  1814. 

Other  islands  in  this  part  of  the  lake  share  the  history  of  these  events. 
It  was  from  Schuyler's  island,  October  1 2,  1  776,  that  Benedict  Arnold 
wrote  to  General  Gates,  announcing  the  loss  of  two  vessels  of  the  Ameri- 
can fleet. 

The  commissioners  crossed  the  bay  which  was  the  scene  of  Mac- 
donough's  brilliant  victory  of  September  II,  1814,  in  which  the 
American  loss  was,  according  to  Neeser's  "  Statistical  Tables  of  the 
U.  S.  Navy,"  52  killed  and  59  wounded,  and  the  British  loss,  accord- 
ing to  the  same  authority,  84  killed  and  1 1 0  wounded.  Special  note 
was  taken  of  Crab  Island,  where  the  Americans  placed  their  sick, 
September  7th  to  1 0th,  and  where  the  convalescent  soldiers  built  and 


24  State  of  New  York 

manned  a  battery.  Here  is  the  burial-ground  where  were  interred  the 
soldiers  and  marines  killed  in  the  battle  of  September  11,  1814. 

Just  bej^ond  we  passed  Cumberland  Head,  with  associations  not  only 
of  the  War  of  1812,  but  of  the  Revolution.  Here  it  was,  in  June,  1  777, 
that  Burgoyne's  army  rested  for  several  days. 

Further  north,  on  the  New  York  side.  Point  au  Fer  was  passed. 
This  famous  point,  visited  by  many  of  the  early  expeditions,  was  fortified 
by  General  Sullivan  in  1  776.  In  June  of  the  next  yeai"  it  was  occupied 
by  Burgoyne;  and  the  British  remained  in  possession  until  1788,  after 
the  close  of  the  war. 

Near  the  north  end  of  the  lake,  among  other  places  noted  by  your 
Commission,  is  Windmill  Point,  so  named  from  a  mill  and  settlement 
built  there  by  the  French  in  I  73 1 .  The  Canadian  boundary  line  runs 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  this  point.  An  interesting  associa- 
tion relates  to  a  visit  made  to  this  place  in  the  autumn  of  1  766  by  Sir 
Henry  Moore,  Governor  of  New  York  Colony,  and  Sir  Guy  Carleton, 
Governor  of  the  Province  of  Quebec.  Their  object  was  to  ascertain 
where  the  boundary  ran  which  had  been  fixed  by  royal  order  at  the 
45th  degree.  "  After  encountering  many  difficulties,"  the  Governor  of 
New  York  subsequendy  wrote  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  (November  7, 
1766),  "we  fixed  the  limits  on  the  River  Sorell  [now  known  as  the 
Sorel,  or  Richelieu,  the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain],  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  below  Windmill  Point,  which  is  further  to  the  northward 
than  we  Imagined  to  find  it  from  the  observations  which  were  said  to 
be  made  there  by  the  French  some  few  years  ago." 

During  this  visit  of  the  two  Governors  at  Windmill  Point  they  were 
visited  by  a  number  of  French  gentlemen  from  Quebec,  who  sought  a 
confirmation  of  their  rights  in  seigniories  granted  to  them  before  the 
conquest  of  Canada,  and  now  found  to  extend  south  of  the  Canadian 
boundary  line.  The  adjustment  of  these  old  seigniorial  grants,  and 
questions  relating  thereto,  ran  through  many  years,  and  constitutes  a 
considerable  chapter  in  the  international  history  of  this  region.     The 


Cupyii^'hl  ami  liv  cuurtrsy  uf  Harris  A;  Eu  ing,  Washington,  I>.  C. 

SENATOR  ELIHU  ROOT   OF  NEW  YORK 


HON.  JACOB   M.  DICKINSON 
Secretary  of  War 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  25 

boundary  line  was  fixed  by  an  Order  in  Council  ("  Report  of  the  Lords 
of  the  Committee  of  Privy  Council  "),  August  12,  1768. 

Your  commissioners  made  their  first  landing  at  Sandy  Point,  on  Isle 
La  Motte,  the  site  of  the  first  French  settlement  in  the  valley;  thence, 
after  dinner  at  the  home  of  the  Hon.  Nelson  W.  Fisk,  Isle  La  Motte, 
going  to  Burlington,  where  the  Commissions  were  the  guests  of  the 
Burlington  Commercial  Club  and  of  the  Ethan  Allen  Club.  Various 
points  of  interest  in  the  city  and  vicinity  were  visited,  and  the  following 
day  as  many  of  the  commissioners  as  could  arrange  went  by  steamer  to 
Crown  Point  and  afterward  to  Ticonderoga,  where  the  sites  and  ruined 
fortifications  were  inspected. 

CONFERENCE  WITH  THE  SECRETARY  OF  STATE 

On  December  4,  1907,  the  Hon.  Henry  W.  Hill  and  the  Hon. 
Frank  S.  Witherbee,  of  the  above-named  sub-committee,  visited  Wash- 
ington, where  Messrs.  Lynn  M.  Hays  and  Walter  H.  Crockett  of  the 
Vermont  Commission  joined  them  in  a  visit  to  the  Secretary  of  State, 
the  Hon.  Elihu  Root,  with  whom  a  conference  was  held,  at  which  there 
were  also  present,  besides  the  commissioners.  Senators  Proctor  and 
Dillingham  and  Representative  David  J.  Foster. 

The  commissioners  laid  the  proposed  plan  of  celebration  and  com- 
memoration before  the  Secretary  of  State,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining 
the  action  which  he  would  approve  in  the  matter  on  the  part  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States.  The  Secretary  inquired  what  New 
York  State  and  Vermont  were  likely  to  do  in  the  way  of  appropriations; 
and  was  informed  that  both  States  were  expected  to  make  suitable 
appropriations,  and  that  it  was  deemed  important  that  representatives  of 
the  Governments  of  France,  of  Great  Britain  and  Canada  be  invited 
through  the  Federal  Government  to  be  present  as  its  guests  at  such  cele- 
bration. 

Secretary  Root  expressed  his  approval.  In  his  view  the  Federal 
Government  might  with  propriety  invite  such  representatives;   and  he 


26  State  of  New  York 

stated  his  willingness  to  recommend  to  the  President  that  a  suitable 
appropriation  be  made  for  their  entertainment. 

The  Secretary  of  State  further  expressed  to  the  commissioners  his 
most  cordial  approval  of  the  proposed  celebration,  and  deep  interest  in 
it,  especially  on  account  of  its  international  features,  and  because  of  its 
historical  character,  illustrating  as  it  would,  the  periods  of  discovery  and 
settlement,  and  the  development  of  American  institutions. 

ACTION  TAKEN  AT  ALBANY,  DECEMBER  21,   1907 

At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  New  York  and  Vermont  Commissions,  held 
at  Albany,  December  21,  1907,  the  following  resolutions,  which  had 
been  adopted  by  the  special  sub-committee  and  reported  to  a  meeting 
of  the  whole  Commission  at  the  Executive  Mansion,  Governor  Hughes 
presiding,  were  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  judgment  of  the  sub-committee  of  the  Lake  Champlain 
Tercentenary  Commission  that  the  tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain 
and  the  historic  events  following  during  the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  periods,  and 
also  of  the  War  of  1812,  be  celebrated  in  an  appropriate  and  fittmg  manner  in 
July,  1909,  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain,  with  appropriate  exercises  to  be 
determined  upon  by  the  Commission  having  that  matter  in  charge. 

Resolved,  That  a  permanent  memorial  to  commemorate  the  discovery  by  Samuel 
Champlain  be  erected  at  some  point  in  the  Champlain  Valley;  and  that  the  State  of 
New  York  make  suitable  appropriation  for  such  celebration;  and  also  a  suitable 
appropriation  toward  defraying  the  cost  of  said  memorial,  sharing  therein  with  the 
State  of  Vermont  and  any  other  contributors  thereto. 

Resolved,  That  a  suitable  memorial  be  prepared  on  the  part  of  the  Commission 
of  the  State  of  New  York  and  on  the  part  of  the  Commission  of  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont, if  they  concur,  to  be  presented  through  the  Secretary  of  State  to  the  Federal 
Government,  requesting  that  the  Federal  Government,  through  the  Department  of 
State,  or  a  commission,  as  it  may  decide,  participate  in  the  proposed  celebration; 
and  that  the  Federal  Government  be  requested  to  make  suitable  appropriation  there- 
for; and  that  the  Federal  Government  be  requested  to  invite  the  participation  of 
Canada ;  and  also  to  invite  and  entertain  representatives  of  the  Republic  of  France, 
the  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  27 


SUNDRY  SUGGESTIONS 

In  free  discussion  among  the  members  of  the  Commissions  it  was 
developed  that  in  the  judgment  of  the  Commissions  the  proposed  cele- 
bration should  include  exercises  to  be  held  at  Ticonderoga,  Crown 
Point,  Plattsburgh,  Burlington,  Isle  La  Motte,  and,  if  found  feasible,  at 
a  convenient  point  m  Canada.    Other  suggestions  were : 

That  on  Sunday,  July  4,  1 909,  religious  services  of  a  character  appro- 
priate to  the  anniversary  be  held,  if  possible,  at  suitable  points,  especially 
at  Cliff  Haven,  at  Isle  La  Motte,  and  in  the  cathedral  at  Burlington, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

Also,  that  said  celebration  shall  include  such  musical  features  as  may 
be  found  desirable,  and,  if  possible,  an  aquatic  pageant,  with  fireworks, 
electrical  display,  and  other  appropriate  features.  It  is  understood  and 
expected  that  the  annual  meetings  of  regattas  of  canoe,  motor-boat  or 
yacht  clubs  may  be  held  at  this  time  on  Lake  Champlain,  contributing 
attractive  features  to  the  celebration. 

It  was  further  suggested,  with  the  approval  of  the  members  present, 
that  the  fraternal  orders  represented  in  the  Champlain  Valley  be  invited 
to  join  in  the  celebration  and  to  appear  in  regalia  in  appropriate  parades 
as  opportunity  may  offer. 

After  some  discussion  as  to  the  practicability  of  participation  by 
patriotic  societies,  it  was  voted  that  the  Secretary  of  the  New  York 
Commission  procure  data  relative  to  the  patriotic  societies  represented 
in  the  Champlain  Valley  and  submit  it  at  a  future  meeting  of  the  Com- 
mission, that  the  Commission  may  act  with  more  adequate  information 
on  this  subject. 

A  MEMORIAL  VOLUME  RECOMMENDED 

A  further  suggestion,  which  appeals  with  force  to  your  Commission, 
is  that  there  should  be  provided  for,  to  be  published  by  the  State  of  New 
York,  a  suitable  memorial  volume,  to  be  issued  as  soon  as  practicable 
after  the  celebration,  which  shall  contain  a  general  report  of  your  Com- 
mission; a  report  of  the  celebration  and  memorial  exercises;  a  suitable 


28  State  of  New  York 

historical  sketch  of  the  Champlain  region;  a  bibliography  of  the  works 
of  Champlain  and  works  relating  to  him;  a  cartography  of  Lake 
Champlain ;  and  such  other  features  as  may  be  determined  upon. 

APPROVAL  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE  EXPRESSED  IN  THE  ANNUAL 
MESSAGE  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE 

That  the  Governor  of  New  York  State  heartily  approves  of  the  pro- 
posed celebration  is  shown  in  his  message  transmitted  to  the  Legislature 
on  January  1  st  last. 

"  Fitting  preparation,"  he  said,  "  should  be  made  for  the  celebration 
in  the  year  1909  of  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake 
Champlain.  This,"  he  adds,  "  is  an  event  of  interstate  and  international 
importance,  and  a  Commission  representing  this  State  is  co-operating  with 
a  Vermont  Commission  in  perfecting  suitable  plans.  It  is  hoped  that  the 
Federal  Government  will  give  assistance,  and  that  through  its  offices  the 
Government  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  and  the  Republic  of  France 
will  be  invited  to  participate." 

THE  VERMONT  COMMISSION 

The  Vermont  Commission,  it  should  be  noted,  was  created  by  the  act 
of  the  Vermont  Legislature,  session  of  1906—1907.  It  is  officially 
designated  "  The  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission  of  Ver- 
mont," and  is  constituted  as  follows:  Chairman,  His  Excellency  the 
Hon.  Fletcher  D.  Proctor,  Governor  of  Vermont;  Chairman  pro  tern., 
Walter  E.  Howard,  Middlebury;  Secretary,  Lynn  M.  Hays,  No.  196 
Main  street,  Burlington;  and  Messrs.  Horace  W.  Bailey,  Newbury; 
M.  D.  McMahon,  Burlington;  R.  W.  McCuen,  Vergennes;  and 
Walter  H.  Crockett,  St.  Albans.  This  Conunission,  it  may  be  observed, 
is  a  permanent  organization  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  object  for 
which  it  was  created;  with  power  to  enter  into  and  perfect  arrangements 
with  a  similar  Commission  representing  New  York  State,  when  it  shall 
have  been  created;  and  to  plan,  superintend  and  carry  out  the  proposed 
celebration  and  erection  of  a  memorial  on  the  part  of  Vermont. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  29 


POPULAR  INTEREST  IN  THE  MATTER 

As  the  public,  not  only  in  New  York  State  and  Vermont,  but  in 
neighboring  States  as  well,  have  learned  of  these  preliminary  prepara- 
tions, great  interest  has  been  shown  in  the  matter. 

In  Vermont  the  press  very  generally  has  joined  in  expressions  of 
approval  of  the  project.  The  Vermont  Commission  has  been  prompt 
to  signify  its  readiness  to  co-operate  in  every  way  possible  with  New 
York.  Its  sub-committee,  consisting  of  the  Hon.  Walter  E.  Howard, 
Chairman;  Messrs.  Lynn  M.  Hays  and  Walter  H.  Crockett,  have 
reported  a  resolution  in  which  they  "  recommend  to  the  Vermont  Com- 
mission that  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlam 
by  Samuel  Champlain  be  celebrated  in  a  manner  fitting  the  occasion  by 
the  State  of  Vermont,  acting  in  conjunction  with  the  State  of  New 
York."  The  full  Vermont  Commission  have  also  planned  to  organize 
a  publicity  bureau  for  the  purpose  of  creating  sentiment  in  the  interests 
of  the  proposed  celebration. 

In  New  York  State,  also,  the  press  in  many  sections  has  shown  marked 
interest  in  and  approval  of  the  project.  So,  too,  have  various  patriotic 
and  historical  societies. 

ACTION  OF  PATRIOTIC  SOCIETIES 

The  following  resolutions,  adopted  by  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  Buffalo  Chapter,  on  November  22,  1907,  were  officially 
endorsed  by  the  New  York  State  Conference,  National  Society 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  in  substance  have  been 
adopted  by  several  other  of  the  patriotic  societies  having  chapters  in  this 
State: 

Whereas,  Buffalo  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  has  learned 
with  deep  interest  of  the  preliminary  steps  taken  by  the  State  of  New  York,  regard- 
ing a  contemplated  celebration  jointly  with  the  State  of  Vermont  and  Province  of 
Quebec,  of  the  discovery  and  first  exploration  of  Lake  Champlain,  said  suggested 
celebration  to  occur  on  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  discovery,  in  July,  1 909 ; 
and 


30  State  of  New  York 

Whereas,  We  regard  this  discovery,  and  the  events  flowing  therefrom,  as  of 
paramount  importance  in  the  history  of  this  State.  In  the  Colonial,  as  in  the 
Revolutionary  period  and  that  of  the  War  of  1812,  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain 
was  the  theater  of  many  stirring  operations  and  decisive  engagements.  With  its 
beautiful  waters,  its  hills  and  headlands,  its  storied  islands  and  ruined  fortifications, 
the  annals  and  traditions  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  are  inti- 
mately woven;  therefore 

Resolved,  TTiat  we,  members  of  the  Buffalo  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  hereby  urge  upon  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York  the  desira- 
bility of  heartily  endorsing  the  proposed  plan  of  celebration; 

Resolved,  That  in  our  view  it  is  especially  desirable  that  in  connection  with  the 
proposed  celebration,  one  or  more  of  the  historic  sites  in  the  Champlain  Valley  be 
acquired  by  the  State  of  New  York  for  the  suitable  preservation  of  its  landmarks 
and  the  enjoyment  of  the  public;  or  that,  if  this  should  not  prove  feasible,  that  the 
erection  of  some  permanent  memorial  be  included  in  the  action  of  the  State. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars  in  the  State  of  New  York,  further  indicates  the  interest  that  has 
been  aroused  and  the  co-operation  which  awaits  the  action  of  your 
honorable  body : 

Society  of  the  Colonial  Wars  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
Office  of  the  Secretary,  Room  62, 

45  William  Street,  New  York. 

February  20.  1 908. 

Hon.  Henry  W.  Hill,  Chairman  of  the  Sub-CommiUee,  New  York  Lake 
Champlain    Tercenlenary    Commission,    Senate    Chamber,    Alhanv,    N.    Y.: 

Dear  Sir. —  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you  the  following  resolution  adopted 
by  this  Society  through  the  Council: 

Whereas,  The  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  in  the  State  of  New  York  has  been 
informed  of  the  proposed  celebration  jointly  by  the  States  of  New  York  and 
Vermont,  and  the  Province  of  Quebec,  in  commemoration  of  the  discovery  of 
Lake  Champlain,  to  occur  on  the  300th  anniversary  thereof  in  July,    1 909 ; 

Noli),  therefore,  be  it  Resolved,  That  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  in  the  State 
of  New  York  hereby  declares  that  it  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  such  proposed 
celebration  and  that  it  is  its  intention  to  hold  a  reunion  at  Lake  Champlain  in 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  31 

connection  therewith  in  July,    1909,  and  that  it  appoint  a  committee  to  confer  as 
to  the  management  therefor. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Henry  Gansevoort  Sanford, 

Secretar'^. 

Other  organizations  as  well,  especially  the  historical  and  patriotic 
societies  represented  in  the  Champlain  Valley,  have  expressed  their 
ardent  interest  in  the  project  and  willingness  to  co-operate  as  may  be 
desired. 

HISTORIC  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  CHAMPLAIN  REGION 

Your  honorable  body  are  familiar  in  general  with  the  historic 
importance  of  the  region  in  which  it  is  proposed  to  hold  this  celebration 
and  erect  a  memorial.  It  may  be  permitted,  however,  on  the  part  of 
your  Commission  to  direct  especial  attention  in  this  report  to  a  few 
features  of  its  history,  which  endow  the  Champlain  Valley  with  extraor- 
dinary importance  in  the  annals  of  New  York  State. 

The  entrance  into  the  valley  which  now  bears  his  name  by  the  great 
explorer,  Samuel  Champlain,  in  July,  1609,  constitutes  the  opening  of 
the  first  chapter  in  the  history  of  New  York  State. 

It  antedated  by  some  months  the  discovery  and  exploration  of  the 
Hudson  river,  and  it  resulted  in  a  sequence  of  events  extending  over  a 
century  and  a  half,  in  delivering  the  region  which  is  now  the  great  com- 
monwealth of  New  York  from  its  condition  of  aboriginal  darkness. 
After  Champlain  came  the  missionary,  and  with  him  and  after  him  there 
came  the  trader;  and  presently  from  Lake  Champlain  to  the  Niagara 
river  the  power  of  France  strove  with  that  of  England  for  the  control  of 
what  is  now  New  York  State. 

Your  Commission  would  call  your  particular  attention  to  the  extraor- 
dinary significance  of  the  anniversary  which  it  is  desired  to  celebrate. 

In  discovering  the  lake  that  bears  his  name,  Champlain  also  dis- 
covered the  region  that  became  New  York  State. 


32  State  of  New  York 

He  was  the  first  white  man  to  behold  any  portion  of  our  State,  or  to 
set  foot  therein. 

His  visit  in  July,  1609,  was  not  only  the  beginning  of  recorded  his- 
tory in  New  York  State,  but  of  a  new  era  for  the  Western  continent. 

FIRST  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP  IN  VERMONT 

For  many  years  after  this  initial  voyage  the  waters  of  the  Champlain 
Valley  were  the  highway  of  many  expeditions  notable  in  Colonial 
history.  None  was  more  notable  than  that  which  in  the  summer  of  1 666 
erected  on  Isle  La  Motte  the  old  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  and  set  up  there  the 
first  Christian  altar  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Vermont.  Throughout 
the  following  years  of  Indian  warfare  many  a  desperate  enterprise 
occurred  in  this  valley;  and  later,  as  the  English  colonists  to  the  South 
found  themselves  in  opposition  to  the  power  of  France  in  Canada,  the 
passing  years  saw  an  endless  succession  of  war  expeditions  up  and  down 
the  valley. 

CROWN  POINT  AND  TICONDEROGA 

Towards  the  end  of  the  period  of  French  control  of  the  Champlain 
region,  in  1  73 1 ,  the  French  made  their  most  southern  fortifications  at 
what  is  now  known  as  Crown  Point.  When  your  Commission  visited 
this  historic  site,  it  found,  in  a  most  interesting  state  of  preservation,  not 
only  the  ruins  of  British  military  constructions,  but  of  the  earlier  French 
outlines.  The  territory  covered  by  these  landmarks,  or  identified  with 
them,  passed  from  the  ownership  of  New  York  State  to  Union  and 
Columbia  Colleges.  The  property  was  partitioned  in  1812,  and  in  1828 
the  trustees  of  Columbia  College  deeded  the  property  to  Sylvester 
Churchill.  It  subsequently  passed  through  various  hands,  and  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Fred  Nadeau,  who  resides  in  the  neighborhood. 

Similarly  at  Ticonderoga,  where  your  Commission  carefully  inspected 
the  ruins,  one  finds  reminders  alike  of  American,  of  British  and  of 
French  occupancy.  The  title  of  Ticonderoga  may  be  said  to  have  been 
successively  vested  in  the  Indian  aborigines,  in  the  French  down  to  1  759, 


By  courtesy  of  Bernard 


AMBASSADOR  J.  J.  JUSSERAND 


Coi.yriMlit  anil   I  \  tl      v    of  E.  Chirkt'i  hik'  A  Co..  Boston 


RT.   HON.  JAMES   BRYCE 
British  Ambassador 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  33 

in  the  English  to  1  775,  with  changing  fortunes  to  the  end  of  the  Revolu- 
tion; then  (after  perhaps  a  period  of  Federal  control),  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  the  Regents  of  the  University,  and  Columbia  and  Union 
Colleges.  In  1818,  Mr.  William  F.  Pell  purchased  the  property  of 
some  five  hundred  acres,  including  the  old  ruins  and  fortifications,  from 
the  two  colleges  mentioned,  since  which  date  it  has  been  in  the  posses- 
sion of  his  family,  the  ownership  at  present  being  vested  in  five  of  his 
descendants. 

HISTORIC  ASSOCIATIONS 

That  the  places  included  in  the  proposed  celebration  are  rich  in  his- 
toric associations  may  be  judged  by  citing  a  few  of  the  many  significant 
facts  that  might  be  presented. 

Sandy  Point  on  Isle  La  Motte,  near  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  holds  the 
ruins  of  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  the  first  spot  in  which  mass  was  said  in  the 
present  State  of  Vermont.  Its  military  associations  under  the  French 
include  the  names  of  de  Tracy,  Levis,  Bourlamaque  and  Bougainville. 
Of  even  more  significance  is  it  in  the  annals  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  The  great  missionary,  Dollier  de  Casson,  ministered  to  the  gar- 
rison there  in  1667;  and  later  three  famous  Jesuits,  Fathers  Fremin, 
Pierron  and  Bruyas,  labored  there.  In  1892  the  site  of  the  old  fort  was 
bought  by  the  Rev.  de  Goesbriand,  first  bishop  of  Burlington,  with  a 
further  purchase  in  1895.  A  chapel  with  a  statue  of  Ste.  Anne,  a  great 
cross  and  other  structures  were  erected  and  blessed.  It  is  a  point  of 
religious  pilgrimage,  and  yearly  on  the  feast  of  Ste.  Anne,  July  26th, 
thousands  of  devout  pilgrims  visit  the  spot  to  pray  at  the  shrine,  where 
are  preserved  relics  of  Ste.  Anne  and  the  Virgin. 

IN  DEFENSE  OF  NEW  YORK'S  RIGHTS 

Of  surpassing  interest  to  the  American  student  and  an  especial  source 

of  pride  to  the  resident  of  New  York  State,  are  the  expeditions  sent  out 

by  the  feeble  Colony  of  New  York  to  maintain  their  rights  against  the 

encroachments  or  murderous  incursions  of  the  French  and  Indian  allies 

4 


34  State  of  New  York 

to  the  north.  When  these  enemies  burned  Schenectady  and  slaughtered 
its  inhabitants  in  February,  1690,  New  York  was  stirred  to  a  just 
retaliation ;  and  it  was  through  the  Champlain  Valley  that  John  Schuyler 
(grandfather  of  Philip  Schuyler  of  Revolutionary  fame)  led  his  little 
force,  in  a  fleet  of  bark  canoes,  against  the  enemy  in  Canada.  His  men 
were  few,  but  they  struck  a  sturdy  blow  for  the  rights  of  New  York. 

In  1691,  Major  Peter  Schuyler  led  still  another  expedition  against 
the  hostile  settlements,  also  by  the  Lake  Champlain  route.  Numerous 
other  expeditions  followed,  in  subsequent  years.  The  annals  of  Colonial 
New  York  show  how,  time  and  time  again.  Lake  Champlain  was  both 
highway  and  battle-ground  where  the  rights  of  New  York  were  defended 
and  established. 

EXPLOITS  IN  THREE  WARS 

Lake  Champlain  throughout  its  whole  length  was  the  theater  of 
important  engagements  and  expeditions  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
One  needs  but  to  mention  Ethan  Allen  at  Ticonderoga,  Seth  Warner 
at  Crown  Point,  Benedict  Arnold  at  St.  John's.  The  battle  which  the 
latter  fought  October  11,1  776,  near  Valcour  Island,  off  Plattsburgh, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  naval  battles  in  our  history,  and  one  of  the  most 
heroic.  The  wreck  of  one  of  Arnold's  vessels,  the  Ro^al  Savage,  still 
lies  near  Valcour  Island. 

Plattsburgh  and  Cumberland  Bay  are  memorable  for  engagements 
in  the  War  of  1812,  both  on  land  and  lake.  Here  it  was,  September  1 1 , 
1814,  that  Macdonough  won  a  brilliant  victory  over  the  British 
squadron  under  Downie.  It  was  one  of  the  decisive  engagements  which 
brought  that  war  to  a  close  with  credit  to  the  Americans. 

As  one  passes  up  the  lake  to  the  south,  the  points  of  historic  significance 
multiply;  and  recall,  besides  the  later  wars,  the  old  French  war  with 
the  exploits  of  "  Rogers  the  Ranger ;"  the  defense  of  Ticonderoga  by 
Montcalm  (July  8,  1758),  when  Abercromby  stormed  the  works  only 
to  retire,  crestfallen  and  exhausted,  with  a  loss  of  some  2,000  men.  TTie 
next  year,  again  in  July  (23d)  British  arms  at  Ticonderoga  under 
Amherst  scored  a  victory,   and  virtually  ended  the   dominion  of  the 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  35 

French  in  the  valley;  and  British  it  remained  until  that  May  morning 
(the  10th)  in  1775,  when  Col.  Ethan  Allen  made  his  sudden  advent 
and  demanded  its  surrender  *'  in  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the 
Continental  Congress." 

Crown  Point,  the  old  French  Fort  Frederic,  is  peculiarly  a  landmark 
to  the  student,  for  it  was  not  only  the  southernmost  outpost  of  the  French 
of  Canada,  but  as  early  as  1  742  it  was  reported  to  be,  "  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Quebec,  the  strongest  work  held  by  the  French  in  Canada." 
Furthermore,  it  was  of  great  strategic  importance,  for  it  commanded  the 
open  highway  between  French  and  English  North  America.  Aban- 
doned by  the  French  in  1 759,  it  was  occupied  by  Gen.  Amherst 
(August  1st),  who  gathered  there  15,000  troops,  and  rebuilt  it,  stronger 
than  before.  During  the  Revolution  the  Americans  held  it  until  Bur- 
goyne  with  7,000  troops  invested  it  (June  27,  1  777),  when  the  Ameri- 
cans abandoned  it  and  retired  to  Ticonderoga. 

LANDMARKS  THAT  SHOULD  BE  PRESERVED 

That  the  preservation  of  historic  sites  within  our  own  boundaries 
meets  the  approval  of  the  American  people,  and  is  a  source  of  satisfac- 
tion to  them,  is  proved  by  innumerable  instances.  Never  do  we  hear 
any  advocacy  in  favor  of  abandoning  sites  already  acquired  and  suitably 
cared  for,  either  by  State  or  Nation.  But  very  often  do  we  hear  regret 
expressed  that  more  sites,  rich  in  historic  associations,  have  not  been  thus 
acquired  and  safeguarded  for  the  future. 

Of  no  points  in  New  York  State  is  this  regret  oftener  expressed,  than 
in  regard  to  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga.  Indeed,  the  scenic  beauties 
of  these  places  would  win  for  them  approval  as  public  parks,  even  had 
they  no  historic  associations.  But  in  addition  to  their  great  natural 
beauty,  and  comparative  accessibility  for  large  numbers  of  people,  they 
offer  to  the  visitor  a  wealth  of  historic  association  equaled  by  few  if  any 
other  spots  in  our  State. 

The  ruins  at  Crown  Point  are  the  best  preserved  examples  in 
America  of  the  military  construction  of  their  day  and  kind. 


36  State  of  New  York 


WHAT  IT  IS  PROPOSED  TO  CELEBRATE 

In  the  view  of  your  Commission,  the  events  above  mentioned  are  a 
few  of  the  many  occurring  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain  which  make 
it  a  worthy  scene  of  a  notable  memorial  celebration.  We  would  cele- 
brate the  tercentenary  of  its  discovery;  but  that  anniversary,  which  falls 
July,  1909,  is  also  a  fitting  occasion  for  recalling,  in  speech  and  written 
record,  in  festival  and  in  pageant,  some  of  the  other  nation-building 
events  in  the  three  centuries  of  history  of  that  region.  For  several  of 
those  events,  as  our  report  has  shown,  the  month  of  July  is  the  anni- 
versary time,  as  well  as  of  that  first  voyage  through  the  lake  by  the 
explorer.  In  1909,  too,  we  would  celebrate  the  100th  anniversary  of 
the  introduction  of  steam  navigation  on  Lake  Champlain.  For  more 
than  a  century  this  lake  has  been  a  part  of  New  York  State's  system  of 
improved  waterways,  and  for  89  years  it  has  been  joined  by  canal  with 
the  canal  system  of  the  State  and  the  Hudson  river. 

LAKE  CHAMPLAIN  IN  LITERATURE 

One  needs  but  to  turn  to  the  literature  of  travel  and  description  to  find 
abundant  records  of  the  Champlain  Valley  in  the  narratives  of  travelers, 
especially  Europeans.  For  many  years,  because  of  its  beauty,  its  his- 
tory, and  its  directness  or  convenience,  the  tour  through  Lake  Champlain 
was  a  favorite  one  with  foreign  as  well  as  American  travelers.  Peter 
Kalm,  the  famous  Swedish  botanist,  describes  at  length  his  visit  to  the 
valley  in  1 749.  Isaac  Weld  and  John  Maude,  English  artists,  who 
traveled  in  America  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  describe  it  at 
length.  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight,  the  famous  president  of  Yale  College, 
made  elaborate  record  of  its  conditions  as  he  found  them  in  I  798. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812,  an  English  officer.  Lieu- 
tenant Francis  Hall,  of  the  14th  Light  Dragoons,  traveled  through  the 
Champlain  Valley  and  recorded  with  unusual  detail  the  state  of  things 
as  they  then  were.  His  narrative,  printed  in  London  in  1818,  is  a  valued 
source  of  information  for  this  particular  period. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  37 

In  1842,  Charles  Dickens  enjoyed  the  beauties  of  the  lake  tour,  and 
in  his  "  American  Notes,"  in  marked  contrast  to  many  of  his  critical 
comments,  he  wrote  in  superlative  praise  of  the  steamboat  service  that 
he  found  on  Lake  Champlain, 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  CHAMPLAIN  REGION 

These  and  many  other  travelers  who  have  written  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain have  left  a  valuable  record  of  conditions  as  they  were  at  different 
periods.  We  have  a  picture  of  the  lake  when  its  shores  were  practically 
all  wilderness.  We  see  the  bark  canoe  followed  in  turn  by  the  rude 
batteau,  the  heavy  sloop,  then  by  various  sail-craft;  later  by  the  pioneer 
steamboat,  and  finally  by  the  era  of  modern  travel  and  conveyance, 
whether  for  passenger  or  freight,  whether  for  business  or  pleasure,  with 
all  the  useful  appliances  of  steam  and  electricity. 

Even  more  striking  has  been  the  evolution  of  the  shores,  where  the 
remote  pioneer  settlements  have  been  succeeded  by  scores  of  thriving 
communities. 

The  Champlain  Valley  embraces  a  populous  and  progressive  portion 
of  the  Empire  State.  Our  citizens  in  that  valley  have  a  just  pride  in  its 
past,  and  are  ready  to  promote  in  any  way  possible,  such  commemorative 
celebration  as  the  State  may  determine  upon. 

NEW  YORK  AND  CHAMPLAIN 

New  York  State  has  never  erected  any  memorial  to  the  great  explorer 
who  first  reached  her  shores. 

So  far  as  your  Commission  is  aware,  the  only  monument  to  Samuel 
Champlain  that  has  been  erected  in  the  United  States  is  the  modest  but 
creditable  statue  unveiled  in  the  village  of  Champlain  in  this  State  on 
July  4,  1 907.  The  exercises  included  impressive  religious  services,  a 
parade,  military  drills,  etc.,  and  a  formal  unveiling  of  the  statue.  Thou- 
sands of  visitors  shared  in  the  exercises,  especially  those  of  French- 
American   ancestry,   whose  pride   and   enthusiasm   indicate   the   ardent 


38  State  of  New  York 

indorsement  which  may  be  expected  from  this  source  for  the  proposed 
tercentenary  celebration. 

CHAMPLAIN  ANNIVERSARIES  ELSEWHERE 

Already  the  Dominion  of  Canada  is  preparing  for  a  fitting  celebra- 
tion, the  coming  summer,  of  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of 
Quebec. 

Your  honorable  body  will  recall  that  the  Maritime  Provinces  of 
Canada  held  a  most  successful  celebration  in  June,  1904,  of  the  300th 
anniversary  of  the  founding  of  Port  Royal  and  other  events  associated 
with  Champlain,  who  first  entered  the  Bay  of  Fundy  in  June,  1604. 
The  memorial  and  festive  features  of  this  tercentenary  celebration,  so 
happily  carried  out  by  the  people  of  New  Brunswick,  awakened  very 
general  interest. 

The  events  of  1608,  which  the  Dominion  of  Canada  proposes  to 
celebrate  in  1908,  stimulate  and  extend  this  popular  interest,  and  direct 
attention  in  a  marked  degree  to  the  historical  importance  of  those  events 
of  1609  which  we  recommend  for  distinguished  observance  by  New 
York  State  in  1909. 

SIGNIFICANCE  OF  THE  ANNIVERSARY  OF  1909 

Your  Commission  respectfully  submit  the  foregoing  report  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Legislature  of  New  York.  The  anniversary,  which  we 
desire  shall  be  suitably  observed,  has  great  significance.  Important  as  it  is 
to  the  student  of  history,  it  makes  a  wider  and  stronger  appeal  to  that 
large  body  of  our  citizens  whose  forefathers  fought  in  the  wars  of  the 
Champlain  region,  or  were  among  the  pioneers  who  transformed  it  from 
the  wilderness. 

But  chief  of  all  the  considerations  which  we  urge  upon  your  attention 
is  the  international  character  of  the  proposed  celebration.  The  history 
of  the  Champlain  valley  belongs  to  the  history  of  three  great  nations, 
whose  cordial  relations  we  believe  will  be  promoted  by  the  suitable 
observance  of  this  significant  date. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  39 


RECOMMENDATION 

To  that  end  your  Commission,  after  careful  investigation,  reaches  the 
conclusion  that  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  should  be  suitably  celebrated  by  New  York  State;  and  to  that 
end  we  respectfully  recommend  the  enactment  of  the  following  bill: 

An  Act  to  Provide  for  the  Celebration  of  the  Tercentenary  of 
THE  Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  Appointment  of  a 
Commission,  Prescribing  its  Powers  and  Duties  and  Making  an 
Appropriation  Therefor. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  Nen>  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembl}),  do 
enact  as  follorvs: 

Section  I.  The  governor  shall  appoint  five  citizens  of  this  state,  the  president 
pro  tempore  of  the  senate  shall  appoint  three  members  of  the  senate,  and  the  speaker 
of  the  assembly  shall  appoint  three  members  of  the  assembly,  who  shall  constitute 
and  be  known  as  the  commission  for  the  public  celebration  of  the  tercentenary  of 
the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain.  The  members  of  such  commission  shall  serve 
without  pay  but  shall  receive  their  necessary  traveling  and  other  expenses. 

Sec.  2.  The  object  of  such  commission  shall  be  to  plan  and  conduct  a  public 
celebration  of  the  tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  by  Samuel  Cham- 
plain in  the  month  of  July,  sixteen  hundred  and  nine,  and  such  other  historical 
events  following  such  discovery  as  such  commission  may  deem  of  general  public 
interest  or  worthy  of  commemoration. 

Sec.  3.  Such  commission  shall  organize  by  electing  a  chairman,  secretary, 
treasurer  and  such  other  officers  as  it  may  deem  necessary;  and  may  adopt  such 
rules  and  regulations  as  it  may  deem  proper  for  carrying  into  effect  the  purposes 
for  which  it  is  created,  and  shall  have  power  to  enter  into  negotiations  and 
co-operate  with  the  state  of  Vermont,  the  government  of  the  United  States,  the 
Dominion  of  Canada  and  the  Province  of  Quebec,  or  either  or  any  of  them,  and 
with  the  various  patriotic  and  historical  societies  of  the  state  and  nation,  in  such 
celebration  and  may  appoint  committees  of  citizens  from  the  various  municipalities 
of  the  state.  Such  commission  shall  also  have  the  power,  either  by  itself  or  in 
co-operation  with  the  state  of  Vermont,  the  government  of  the  United  States,  the 
Dominion  of  Canada  and  the  Province  of  Quebec,  or  any  or  either  of  them,  to 
erect  a  suitable  permanent  memorial  to  the  said  Samuel  Champlain,  in  the  valley 


40  State  of  New  York 


of  Lake  Champlain.  Such  commission  may  also  appoint  committees  from  its  mem- 
bers and  may  employ  such  assistants  as  it  may  deem  necessary,  fix  their  compensa- 
tion and  define  their  powers  and  duties  within  the  provisions  of  this  act. 

Sec.  4.  Such  commission  shall  audit  and  pay  all  bills  and  expenses  incurred 
under  this  act  and  file  the  vouchers  therefor  with  the  comptroller  of  the  state;  keep 
an  accurate  record  of  all  its  proceedings  and  transactions,  and  shall  submit  to  the 
legislature  of  nineteen  hundred  and  ten  a  full  and  complete  report  thereof.  It 
shall  have  no  power  or  authority  to  contract  for  the  expenditure  of  any  sum  in 
excess  of  the  amount  herein  appropriated,  except  such  funds  as  have  actually  been 
paid  into  its  treasury  by  public  or  private  contribution  for  the  erection  of  a  memorial 
as  herein  provided,  and  it  shall  keep  an  accurate  account  of  the  receipt  and  dis- 
bursement of  such  contributions,  if  any,  and  include  the  same  in  its  report  to  the 
legislature. 

Sec.  5.  The  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  or  so  much  thereof  as 
may  be  necessary,  is  hereby  appropriated,  out  of  any  moneys  not  otherwise  appro- 
priated, for  the  purposes  of  this  act,  and  payments  shall  be  made  by  the  state 
treasurer  to  the  treasurer  of  such  commission  on  the  warrant  of  the  state  comptroller 
on  the  requisition  of  the  chairman  of  such  commission.  In  addition  to  the  sum 
herein  appropriated,  the  commission  is  authorized  and  empowered  to  receive  and 
expend  public  and  private  contributions  for  any  of  the  purposes  hereinbefore  set 
forth. 

Sec.   6.      This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

The  foregoing  is  respectfully  submitted. 

Charles  E.  Hughes. 

Lewis  Stuyvesant  Chanler. 

Henry  W.  Hill. 

John  C.  R.  Taylor. 

J.  W.  Wadsworth,  Jr. 

Alonson  T.  Dominy. 

James  A.  Foley. 

Frank  S.  Witherbee. 

John  H.  Booth. 
Frank  H.  Severance, 

Secretary. 
Albany,  March  23,  1908. 


HON.  RODOLPHE   LEMIEUX 


SIR  LOMER  GOUIN 


Copyright  and  by  conrtesy  of  G.  V,  Buck,  Washington.  D.  C. 


LIEUTENANT  DE  VAISSEAU  BENOIST  D'AZY 
OF  THE  FRENCH  EMBASSY 


i 


IV.   FEDERAL  RECOGNITION  AND  AID 

41 


I 


IV.   FEDERAL  RECOGNITION  AND  AID 

NOTE  HAS  ALREADY  BEEN  MADE  of  the  joint  action  of  the  first  New 
York  Commission  and  the  Vermont  Commission,  prior  to  March, 
1908.  On  December  4,  1907.  Messrs.  Hill  and  Witherbee  of  the 
New  York  Commission,  and  Hays  and  Crockett  of  the  Vermont  Com- 
mission, visited  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  Hon.  Elihu  Root,  at  Wash- 
ington. At  the  conference  which  he  granted  to  the  Commissioners  were 
also  present  Senators  Proctor  and  Dillingham,  and  Representative  David 
J.  Foster.  Mr.  Root  listened  attentively  to  the  project  as  outlined  to  him, 
and  expressed  his  approval  and  his  willingness  to  recommend  a  suitable 
appropriation  for  the  entertainment  of  representatives  of  Great  Britain 
and  France.  Under  date  of  April  10,  1908,  a  joint  memorial,  signed 
by  all  the  members  of  both  Commissions,  was  sent  to  the  Secretary  of 
State.  It  embodied  the  report  and  recommendations  of  the  first  New 
York  Commission,  as  already  printed  in  these  pages.  The  memorial 
stated  that  a  sub-committee  of  the  Vermont  Commission  had  called  on 
President  Roosevelt,  who  gave  to  the  project  his  hearty  support.  It 
further  stated  that  the  amount  of  appropriation  recommended  by  the 
New  York  Senate  Finance  Committee  was  $50,000,  or  so  much  thereof 
as  might  be  necessary,  in  place  of  $100,000  as  stated  in  the  first  draft 
of  the  bill ;  and  it  concluded  with  the  following  request : 

In  view  of  the  international  character  of  the  event  which  it  is  proposed  to 
celebrate,  your  commission  feel  that  it  is  desirable  to  include  in  the  celebration,  as 
guests  of  the  United  States,  representatives  of  France,  Great  Britain,  and  Canada. 
It  is  also  especially  desired,  and  your  memorialists  most  respectfully  ask,  that  suit- 
able provision  be  made  for  attendance  at  said  celebration,  or  participation  therein, 
of  such  civil,  military,  and  naval  representatives  of  the  government  of  the  United 
States  as  may  be  hereafter  designated.  In  accordance  with  the  suggestion  made 
on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  sub-committee  representing  the  two  states,  that 
the  matter  of  inviting  and  entertaining  representatives  of  France,  Great  Britain,  and 
Canada  be  under  the  direction  of  the  Department  of  State,  and  that  the  United 

43 


44  State  of  New  York 

States  government  make  adequate  provision  therefor,  we,  the  undersigned  members 
of  the  two  commissions,  hereby  respectfully  request  that  you  lay  this  matter  before 
the  President  and  Congress  of  the  United  States,  with  such  recommendation  as  may 
seem  advisable. 

In  the  hope  that  action  may  be  taken  at  the  present  session  of  Congress,  we  do 
respectfully  subscribe  ourselves.      *      *      * 

The  memorial  was  referred  to  the  Senate  Committee  on  Foreign 
Affairs,  but  because  of  the  lateness  of  the  date  no  action  was  taken  at 
that  session.  At  the  second  session  of  the  60th  Congress,  February  1 5, 
1909,  Mr.  Foster  of  Vermont,  from  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs, 
submitted  a  report  which  reviewed  the  action  already  taken  by  the  two 
States  most  concerned,  and  recited  at  length  the  facts  which  were 
deemed  to  warrant  a  Federal  appropriation  for  purposes  of  entertain- 
ment in  connection  with  the  proposed  celebration.  On  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  committee,  a  bill  was  passed,  appropriating  $20,000  for  the 
purposes  specified. 


H.   WALLACE   KNAPP 

Chairman  of  New  York,  Commission 


I 


V.   LEGISLATION  AND  ORGANIZATION 

45 


HENRY  W.  HILL 
Secretary  of  New  York  Commission 


V.   LEGISLATION  AND  ORGANIZATION 

THE  LEGISLATIVE  ACT  which  created  a  commission  endowed  with 
power  to  organize  and  carry  out  the  proposed  celebration,  became 
a  law  April  22,  1 908,  and  is  Chapter  149  of  the  Laws  of  1908.  as 
follows: 

CHAPTER  149.  LAWS  OF  1908 

An  Act  to  Provide  for  the  Celebration  of  the  Tercentenary  of 
THE  Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain.  the  Appointment  of  a  Com- 
mission, Prescribing  its  Powers  and  Duties  and  Making  an 
Appropriation  Therefor. 

Became  a  law  April  22,  1908,  with  the  approval  of  the  Governor.  Passed, 
three-fifths  being  present. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembl'^, 
do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  I .  The  governor  shall  appoint  five  citizens  of  this  state,  the  presi- 
dent pro  tempore  of  the  senate  shall  appoint  three  members  of  the  senate,  and 
the  speaker  of  the  assembly  shall  appoint  three  members  of  the  assembly,  who 
shall  constitute  and  be  known  as  the  Lake  Champlain  tercentenary  commission. 
The  members  of  such  commission  shall  serve  without  pay  but  shall  receive  their 
actual  and  necessary  traveling  and  other  expenses,  in  the  performance  of  their 
official  duties. 

Sec.  2.  The  object  of  such  commission  shall  be  to  plan  and  conduct  a 
public  celebration  of  the  tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  by 
Samuel  Champlain  in  the  month  of  July,  sixteen  hundred  and  nine. 

Sec  3.  Such  commission  shall  organize  by  electing  a  chairman,  secretary, 
treasurer  and  such  other  officers  as  it  may  deem  necessary;  and  may  adopt  such 
rules  and  regulations  as  it  may  deem  proper  for  carrying  into  effect  the  purposes 
for  which  it  is  created,  and  shall  have  power  to  enter  into  negotiations  and 
co-operate  with  the  stale  of  Vermont,  the  government  of  the  United  States,  the 
Dominion  of  Canada  and  the  province  of  Quebec,  or  either  or  any  of  them.  Such 
commission  shall  also  have  the  power,  either  by  itself  or  in  co-operation  with  the 

47 


48  State  of  New  York 


state  of  Vermont,  the  government  of  the  United  States,  the  Dominion  of  Canada 
and  the  province  of  Quebec,  or  any  or  either  of  them,  to  erect  a  suitable  perma- 
nent memorial  to  the  said  Samuel  Champlain,  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain. 
Such  commission  may  also  appoint  committees  from  its  members  and  may  employ 
such  assistants  as  it  may  deem  necessary,  fix  their  compensation  and  define  their 
powers  and  duties  within  the  provisions  of  any  appropriation  made  for  the 
commission. 

Sec.  4.  Moneys  appropriated  for  the  commission  shall  be  paid  by  the 
treasurer  on  the  warrant  of  the  comptroller,  issued  upon  a  requisition  signed  by  the 
president  and  secretary  of  the  commission,  accompanied  by  an  estimate  of  the 
expenses  for  the  payment  of  which  the  money  so  drawTi  is  to  be  applied,  and 
vouchers  for  such  expenditures  shall  be  filed  with  the  comptroller,  who  shall  audit 
the  same.  The  commission  shall  keep  an  accurate  record  of  all  its  proceedings 
and  transactions,  and  shall  submit  to  the  legislature  of  nineteen  hundred  and  ten  a 
full  and  complete  report  thereof.  Within  thirty  days  thereafter  the  commission 
shall  make  a  verified  report  to  the  comptroller  of  the  disbursements  made  by  it 
and  return  to  the  treasurer  the  unexpended  balance  of  any  money  drawn  in  pur- 
suance of  this  act.  It  shall  have  no  power  or  authority  to  contract  for  the  expendi- 
ture of  any  sum  in  excess  of  the  amount  herein  appropriated,  except  such  funds  as 
have  actually  been  paid  into  its  treasury  by  public  or  private  contribution  for  the 
erection  of  a  memorial  as  herein  provided,  and  it  shall  keep  an  accurate  account  of 
the  receipt  and  disbursement  of  such  contributions,  if  any,  and  include  the  same 
in  its  report  to  the  legislature. 

Sec.   5.      This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

Chapter  465  of  the  Laws  of  1908,  being  a  general  appropriation  act 
for  the  support  of  government,  contained  the  following  provision: 

For  the  Lake  Champlain  tercentenary  commission,  thirty-five  thousand  dollars 
($35,000),  which  shall  be  available  on  the  first  day  of  October,  nineteen  hundred 
eight,  and  the  further  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  ($15,000),  which  shall 
become  available  on  and  after  January  first,  nineteen  hundred  nine. 

By  Chapter  433  of  the  Laws  of  1 909,  there  was  also  appropriated  the 
sum  of  $75,000  for  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission  and 
in  that  chapter  was  inserted  the  following  provision: 

Any  unexpended  balance  of  such  appropriation,  after  payment  of  the  expenses 
of  said  commission,  and  any  moneys  derived  from  the  sale  of  any  property  held  by 
such  commission,  as  well  as  all  funds  paid  into  its  treasury  by  public  or  private 


WALTER  C.  WITHERBEE 
Treasurer  of  New  York  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  49 


contributions  for  the  erection  of  a  permanent  memorial  to  Samuel  de  Champlain  in 
the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain,  shall  be  aggregated  and  kept  as  a  special  fund  to  be 
known  as  the  Samuel  de  Champlain  Memorial  Fund,  to  be  used  by  said  commission 
in  co-operation  with  the  State  of  Vermont,  the  government  of  the  United  States, 
the  Dominion  of  Canada,  the  Province  of  Quebec,  and  various  patriotic  societies, 
or  any  or  either  of  them,  in  the  erection  of  a  suitable  permanent  memorial  to  Samuel 
de  Champlain  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain. 

Subsequently  —  March  18,  1910  —  the  act  of  1908  above  printed 
was  amended  as  follows : 

CHAPTER  44,  LAWS  OF  1910 

An  Act  to  Amend  Chapter  One  Hundred  and  Forty-nine  of  the 
Laws  of  Nineteen  Hundred  and  Eight,  Entitled  "  An  Act  to 
Provide  for  the  Celebration  of  the  Tercentenary  of  the 
Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  Appointment  of  a  Commis- 
sion, Prescribing  its  Powers  and  Duties  and  Making  an  Appro- 
priation Therefor,"  in  Relation  to  the  Power  of  the  Com- 
mission and  Extending  the  Time  for  Making  its  Report  to  the 
Legislature. 
Became  a  law  March  18,  1910,  with  the  approval  of  the  Governor.  Passed, 
three-fifths  being  presenL 

The  People  of  the  State  of  Neiv  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly, 
do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  1.  Section  four  of  chapter  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  of  the  laws 
of  nineteen  hundred  and  eight,  entitled  "  An  act  to  provide  for  the  celebration  of 
the  tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mission, prescribing  its  powers  and  duties  and  making  an  appropriation  therefor," 
is  hereby  amended  to  read  as  follows: 

Sec.  4.  Moneys  appropriated  for  the  commission,  shall  be  paid  by  the 
treasurer  on  the  warrant  of  the  comptroller,  issued  upon  a  requisition  signed  by 
the  president  and  secretary  of  the  commission,  accompanied  by  an  estimate  of  the 
expenses  for  the  payment  of  which  the  money  so  drawn  is  to  be  applied,  and 
vouchers  for  such  expenditures  shall  be  filed  with  the  comptroller,  who  shall  audit 
the  same.  Any  unexpended  balance  of  such  appropriation  after  payment  of  the 
expenses  of  said  commission,  and  any  moneys  derived  from  the  sale  of  any 
property  held  by  such  commission,  as  well  as  all  funds  paid  into  its  treasury  by 
public  or  private  contributions  for  the  erection  of  a  permanent  memorial  to  Samuel 
5 


50  State  of  New  York 

de  Champlain  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain,  shall  be  aggregated  and  kept  as  a 
special  fund  to  be  known  as  the  Samuel  de  Champlain  Memorial  Fund,  to  be 
used  by  said  commission  acting  independently  or  in  co-operation  with  the  state 
of  Vermont,  the  government  of  the  United  States,  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  the 
province  of  Quebec,  and  various  patriotic  societies,  or  any  or  either  of  them,  in  the 
erection  of  a  suitable  permanent  memorial  to  Samuel  de  Champlain  in  the  valley 
of  Lake  Champlain.  The  commission  shall  keep  an  accurate  record  of  all  its 
proceedings  and  transactions,  and  shall  submit  to  the  legislature  of  nineteen  hun- 
dred and  eleven  a  full  and  complete  report  thereof.  Within  thirty  days  thereafter 
the  commission  shall  make  a  verified  report  to  the  comptroller  of  the  disbursements 
made  by  it.  It  shall  have  no  power  or  authority  to  contract  for  the  expenditure 
of  any  sum  in  excess  of  the  amount  heretofore  appropriated,  except  such  funds  as 
have  actually  been  paid  into  its  treasury  by  public  or  private  contribution  for  the 
erection  of  a  memorial  as  herein  provided,  and  it  shall  keep  an  accurate  account  of 
the  receipts  and  disbursements  of  such  contributions,  if  any,  and  include  the  same 
in  its  report  to  the  legislature. 

Sec.   2.      This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

See  supplementary  chapter  181   of  the  laws  of  1911   on  pp.  349-350  infra. 

In  compliance  with  the  statute.  Governor  Hughes  appointed,  as  mem- 
bers of  said  Commission,  the  following: 

Walter  C.  Witherbee Port  Henry,  N.  Y. 

John  H.  Booth Pittsburgh,  N.  Y. 

John  B.  Riley Plattsburgh,  N.  Y. 

Louis  C.  Lafontaine -  Champlain,  N.  Y. 

HowLAND  Pell New  York  City. 

The  president  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate  appointed  the  following: 

H.  Wallace  Knapp. Mooers,  N.  Y. 

Henry  W.  Hill Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

James  J.  Frawley New  York  City. 

The  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  appointed  the  following: 

James  Shea Lake  Placid,  N.  Y. 

James  A.  Foley New  York  City. 

Alonson  T.  Dominy. Beekmantown,  N.  Y. 

The  Hon.  Alonson  T.  Dominy  died  on  September  9,  1908,  without 
having  served  on  this  Commission,  and  the  Hon.  William  R.  Weaver 


JAMES   J.    FRAWLEY 

Member  of  New  York  Commission 


JAMES   A.   FOLEY 

Member  of  New  York  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  51 

of  Peru  was  appointed  in  his  stead.  At  a  subsequent  meeting,  on  motion 
of  Commissioner  Riley,  seconded  by  Commissioner  Booth,  the  following 
minute  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Dominy  was  adopted,  and  a  copy  ordered 
sent  to  his  widow : 

The  members  of  the  New  York  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission  sin- 
cerely mourn  the  untimely  death  of  Alonson  T.  Dominy  and  tender  his  bereaved 
family  their  heartfelt  sympathy. 

His  noble  traits  of  character  early  attracted  attention.  He  was  entrusted  with 
many  important  public  duties  in  the  performance  of  which  he  rendered  a  distinct 
public  service.  Always  the  friend  of  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  his  charity  knew 
neither  race  nor  creed.  Loved  and  respected  by  all,  his  death  is  an  irreparable 
loss  to  the  Commission  and  to  the  State. 

At  the  first  meeting,  held  in  Plattsburgh,  August  13,  1908,  organiza- 
tion was  effected  by  the  choice  of  Hon.  H.  Wallace  Knapp  as  per- 
manent chairman.  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill  as  secretary,  and  Hon. 
Walter  C.  Witherbee  as  treasurer. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting,  after  conferring  with  the  State  Comptroller, 
Mr.  Witherbee  was  also  made  auditor  for  the  Commission. 

At  early  meetings  of  the  Commission,  the  following  committees  were 
constituted : 

Parades:     Messrs.  Riley,  Booth  and  Colonel  Cowles,  U.  S.  A. 

Transporiaiion:     Messrs.  Witherbee,  Riley  and  Heard. 

Indian  Pageant:     Messrs.  Lafontaine,  Knapp  and  Myers. 

Banquet:      Messrs.  Frawley,  Witherbee,  Riley,  Knapp  and  Burdick. 

Literary  and  Speakers:     Messrs.  Hill,  Riley  and  Foley. 

Reception  and  Government  Guests:     Messrs.  Knapp  and  the  Commission  as 

a  whole. 
Naval  Parades:     Messrs.  Weaver,  Pell,  Shea  and  Commodore  Wadhams. 
State  Troops:      Messrs.  Pell,  Weaver  and  Adjutant-General  Henry,  of  the 

State  of  New  York. 
Fireworks:     Messrs.  Foley,  Booth  and  Myers. 
Decorations:     Messrs.    Shea,    Riley,    Booth,    Cummings,    Witherbee    and 

Burdick. 
Invitations:     Messrs.  Booth,  Hill,  Shea  and  Lafontaine. 
Commissary:     Messrs.  Witherbee,  Loomis  and  Shea. 


52  State  of  New  York 


Badges:      Messrs.  Hill,  Hays  and  Smith. 

Publicil}):      Messrs.   Hill,   Frawley,   Shea,   Foley  and  Weaver. 

Enteriainmenl :      Messrs.   Riley,   Booth,  Cummings,  Higgins,  Witherbee  and 

Lafontaine. 
Music:      Messrs.  Foley,  Witherbee  and  Lafontaine. 

Other  special  committees  were  created  from  time  to  time,  as  occasion 
demanded. 

The  completed  Commissions  of  the  two  States  which  took  up  the 
work  of  the  celebration,  were  as  follows: 

Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission  of  New  York 

H.  Wallace  Knapp,  Chairman     -     -     -     -  Mooers,   N.   Y. 
Henry  W.  Hill,  Secretary,  5  1  I  Mutual  Life 

Building Buffalo.   N.   Y. 

Walter  C.  Witherbee,  Treasurer     -      -     -  Port  Henry,   N.  Y. 

James  Shea Lake  Placid,  N.  Y. 

John  H.  Booth Plattsburgh,  N.  Y. 

Louis  C.  Lafontaine     - Champlain,  N.  Y. 

James  J.  Frawley,  2 1  Park  Row  .     -     -     -  New  York  City. 

James  A.  Foley,  314  East  19th  Street  -     -  New  York  City. 

John  B.  Riley Plattsburgh,  N.  Y 

HoWLAND  Pell,  7  Pine  Street    .     -     -     -  New  York  City. 

William  R.  Weaver Peru,  N.  Y. 

Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission  of  Vermont 

Governor  GeoRGE  H.  ProUTY,  Chairman   -      -  Newport,   Vt. 

Lynn  M.  Hays,  Secretary Burlington,  Vt. 

Frank  L.  Fish,  Treasurer    --...-  Vergennes,  Vt. 

Walter  H.  Crockett St.  Albans,  Vt. 

Horace  W.  Bailey Newbury,  Vt. 

George  T.  Jarvis. Rutland,  Vt. 

John  M.  Thomas. Middlebury,  Vt. 

William  J.  Van  Patten Burlington,  Vt. 

Arthur  F.  Stone -    -    -  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. 

F.  O.  Beaupre -.-  Burlington,  Vt. 


JAMES  SHEA 
Member  of  New  York  Commission 


VI.   WORK  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  COMMISSION 


S3 


WILLIAM   R.   WEAVER 
Member  of  New  York  Commission 


VI.   WORK  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  COMMISSION 

THE  COMMISSION  took  up  its  work  promptly  and  prosecuted  it  with 
diligence.  More  than  thirty  meetings  were  held  from  August,  1 908, 
to  June,  1910.  Both  as  a  matter  of  convenience  and  in  order  to 
familiarize  themselves  with  local  conditions,  the  meetings  were  held  by  the 
Commissioners  at  various  places  in  the  Champlain  Valley;  and  also  at 
Albany  and  in  New  York.  Numerous  joint  meetings  with  the  Vermont 
Commission  were  held,  one  of  them  on  November  10,  1908,  at  Mont- 
pelier,  and  others,  later,  at  Albany,  Burlington  and  Plattsburgh. 

Early  in  its  deliberations  the  Commission  recognized  that  two  distinct 
problems  awaited  its  action.  They  were,  first,  to  provide  for  a  suitable 
celebration  of  the  historic  anniversaries  connected  with  the  Champlain 
region;  and  second,  a  no  less  important  function  was  to  bring  about  the 
erection  of  a  suitable  permanent  memorial  to  Champlain.  The  con- 
sideration of  both  of  these  matters  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Com- 
mission at  many  of  its  meetings;  but  for  the  purpose  of  this  report  the 
celebration  ceremonies  will  first  be  reviewed,  followed  by  a  summary  of 
the  action  which  has  been  taken  relative  to  the  memorial. 

The  Commission  early  in  its  deliberations  recognized  that  the  proposed 
celebration  presented  many  unusual  features,  which  would  tax  their 
ingenuity  to  provide  for.  Here  were  two  States,  whose  local  interests 
were  to  be  equitably  considered.  On  both  sides  of  the  lake  were  numer- 
ous communities,  each  with  local  claims  for  consideration,  and  all  to  be 
included  in  any  programme  of  exercises,  whether  literary  or  spectacular. 
Although  local  claims  were  repeatedly  urged  with  much  insistence  upon 
the  attention  of  the  Commission,  and  although  no  little  tact  and  firmness 
were  called  for  in  the  adjustment  of  rival  interests,  yet  it  is  but  fair  to 
say  that  throughout  the  two  years  of  its  activities,  the  Commission  met 
the  problems  as  they  rose  with  a  judicial  disposition  and  carried  through 

55 


56  State  of  New  York 

its  tasks  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  the  various  committees  most 
concerned;  while  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  general  public  the  celebra- 
tion, in  its  conception,  scope  of  entertainment,  and  high  level  of  literary 
contribution,  equalled  anything  of  the  sort  ever  undertaken  on  the  Ameri- 
can continent. 

The  details  of  the  Commission's  work  were  multifarious.  At  early 
sessions,  consideration  was  had  of  some  of  the  larger  matters  which 
demanded  attention,  such  as  effective  and  economical  advertising,  nego- 
tiations with  transportation  lines,  the  securing  of  attractive  amusement 
features,  which  should  at  the  same  time  be  appropriate  to  the  occasion 
and  of  a  dignified  character;  and  the  perfection  of  a  literary  programme. 

As  the  work  of  the  Commission  progressed,  the  details  multiplied,  so 
that  in  the  weeks  immediately  preceding  the  event  the  Commissioners 
found  themselves  dealing  with  such  matters  as  electrical  decorations,  flag 
decorations  in  the  various  towns  to  be  included  in  the  celebration;  the 
provision  of  grand  stands,  and  speakers*  stands;  hotel  accommodations 
for  specially  invited  guests;  vehicles  for  their  local  transportation  and 
comfort;  the  employment  of  detectives  and  of  secret  service  men  on 
occasions  when  great  crowds  were  expected;  the  hiring  of  bands; 
employment  of  official  stenographers;  the  making  of  provision  for  Asso- 
ciated Press  representatives;  the  granting  of  special  privileges  to  photog- 
raphers; and  even,  in  some  cases,  making  arrangements  for  the  placing 
of  extra  cots  where  hotel  accommodations  were  small ;  for  the  lighting  of 
roads  with  gasoline  torches,  and  the  placing  of  water  barrels  alongside 
the  way  to  relieve  the  thirst  of  the  multitude. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  Commission,  held  at  the  Hotel  Belmont, 
New  York  city,  September  30,  1908,  the  arrangement  of  the  literary 
exercises  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  committee  headed  by  Senator 
Hill;  associated  with  him  were  Judge  Booth  and  Mr.  Lafontaine.  They 
were  authorized  to  arrange  programmes  for  the  exercises  at  the  different 
places  on  the  lake.  This  committee,  realizing  the  importance  of  the 
duty  thus  laid  upon  it,  sought  to  secure  the  co-operation,  not  only  of 
several  of  America's  foremost  literary  men,  but  of  the  highest  official 


HOWLAND   PELL 
Member  of  New  York  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  57 

representatives  of  the  nations  and  states  concerned.  This  committee 
recognized  the  great  scope  presented  by  the  history  of  the  Champlain 
Valley  and  sought  to  include  in  the  exercises  suitable  recognition  of  the 
several  great  historic  events  of  the  region.  The  ceremonies  were  to 
commemorate  not  merely  the  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  lake,  but  a  remarkable  chain  of  events  following  that  dis- 
covery, which  were  of  great  significance  m  the  history  of  three  nations. 
Especially  was  the  Revolutionary  period  rich  in  incident,  including  the 
military  engagements  in  which  Arnold's  vessel,  the  Royal  Savage,  was 
sunk  near  Valcour  island ;  and  the  renowned  capture  of  Ticonderoga  by 
Ethan  Allen. 

Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga  recall  to  the  student  the  early  strife  of 
French  and  Indian;  then  comes  the  British  supremacy  on  the  lake;  later 
still,  Plattsburgh  and  Cumberland  Bay  are  memorable  for  engagements 
in  the  War  of  1812;  and  it  was  the  purpose  of  this  committee  to  recog- 
nize the  significance  of  each  of  these  events  and  to  pay  proper  tribute  to 
the  gallantry  alike  of  French  and  British,  and  of  the  American  patriots. 

Among  the  specially  invited  guests  were  several  to  whom  peculiar 
interest  attached.  They  included  Samuel  Verplanck  Hoffman,  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  who  has  in  his  possession  the 
original  astrolabe  of  Champlain.  Another  gentleman,  whose  attendance 
was  asked,  was  the  Hon.  S.  A.  Beaman  of  Malone,  late  county  judge 
of  Franklin  county.  New  York,  whose  grandfather  piloted  Ethan  Allen 
into  Fort  Ticonderoga  on  the  memorable  day  of  its  capture.  Among 
the  bidden  guests  were  also  Commodore  J.  W.  Moore,  United  States 
Navy,  retired;  Rodney  Macdonough,  a  descendant  of  Commodore 
Macdonough;  Major-General  and  Mrs.  Fred  D.  Grant;  and  the  Hon. 
George  Clinton  of  Buffalo,  a  grandson  of  DeWitt  Clinton,  father  of  the 
canal  system  of  New  York  State. 

Mr.  Witherbee  of  the  Commission,  associated  with  Mr.  Myers,  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  extending  the  official  and  other  special  invita- 
tions. TTiey  visited  Washington  and  made  the  necessary  arrangements 
that  through  the  State  Department  invitations  should  be  sent  to  the  diplo- 
matic representatives  of  France  and  Great  Britain  and  the  Premier  and 


58  State  of  New  York 

Governor-General  of  Canada  and  to  the  Premiers  and  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernors of  the  Provinces  of  Ontario  and  Quebec.  The  mayors  of  many 
American  and  Canadian  cities  were  also  invited. 

Prior  to  the  celebration  the  New  York  Commission  held  some  two 
score  meetings.  During  the  winter  of  1908-9  the  Commission  usually 
met  at  Albany.  Alexander  R.  Smith,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  was  em- 
ployed to  assist  in  the  work  of  the  Commission,  and  was  of  great  service 
in  many  ways  to  the  Commission.  On  May  5,  1909,  a  meeting  was 
held  at  Ticonderoga,  where  the  Commission  visited  the  historic  spots  to 
select  sites  for  pageants,  grand  stands,  etc.  The  following  day  the 
Commission  visited  Plattsburgh.  On  May  31st,  at  Burhngton,  a  joint 
meeting  was  held  with  the  Vermont  Commission.  Numerous  meetings 
were  held  in  June  at  Plattsburgh  and,  as  the  celebration  week  ap- 
proached, at  Hotel  Champlain,  which  became  for  the  time  being  head- 
quarters for  the  Commission. 

Of  the  mass  of  details  which  were  considered  and  perfected  at  these 
meetings,  a  few  only  need  be  specifically  mentioned. 

It  was  decided  at  an  early  date  to  lay  especial  stress  upon  the  religious 
features  of  the  anniversary,  and  Commissioner  Lafontaine  was  appointed 
a  committee  of  one  to  visit  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec  and  invite  him  to 
share  in  the  religious  celebration  at  Isle  La  Motte  on  July  4th. 

In  the  report  of  the  celebration  which  follows,  the  exercises  which  were 
held  at  various  places  in  the  Champlam  Valley  on  that  day,  are  duly 
recorded.  Nothing  which  the  Commission  provided  as  a  feature  of  the 
celebration  proved  more  satisfactory,  alike  to  the  Commission  itself  and 
to  the  people  who  shared  in  the  services. 

The  co-operation  of  Federal  troops  and  of  military  bodies  from  the 
militia  of  Vermont,  the  National  Guard  of  New  York  and  from  the 
voluntary  military  organizations  of  Canada,  was  early  considered  and 
arranged  for  by  the  Commission.  Commissioners  Witherbee  and  Pell 
visited  Governor's  Island  and  received  assurances  of  the  co-operation  of 
this  arm  of  the  Government  service  so  far  as  circumstances  would  per- 
mit. An  invitation  was  sent  to  the  Fifth  Royal  Canadian  Highlanders, 
a  volunteer  Scottish  Canadian  regiment  at  Montreal,  the  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  59 

furnishing  their  transportation.  The  co-operation  and  financial  assistance 
of  the  Federal  Government  were  guaranteed  at  an  early  day.  Commis- 
sioners Walter  C.  Witherbee  and  Henry  W.  Hill  were  delegated  on 
December  5,  1908,  to  visit  Washington  and  confer  with  Federal 
authorities  in  regard  thereto. 

To  the  secretary  of  the  Commission  was  delegated  in  general  the 
supervision  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  publicity.  Under  this  head  and 
with  the  assistance  of  special  committees,  an  effective  advertising  project 
was  entered  into,  including  the  advertising  of  the  celebration  in  street 
cars  in  New  York  and  other  cities,  the  printing  and  distribution  of  large 
editions  of  folders,  attractively  illustrated  and  containing  much  valuable 
historical  information.  The  services  of  a  press-clipping  bureau  were 
enlisted  and  specially  prepared  articles  were  distributed  setting  forth 
various  features  of  the  occasion.  In  connection  with  this  work  several 
publications  developed  of  no  little  literary  value.  A  timely  publication 
of  permanent  value  was  "  A  Chronological  History  of  the  Champlain 
Valley,"  compiled  by  Mrs.  George  Fuller  Tuttle  of  Plattsburgh.  Men- 
tion should  be  made  of  Walter  H.  Crockett's  valuable  "  History  of 
Lake  Champlain,"  and  of  "  La  Grande  Semaine,"  compiled  and  edited 
by  J.  Arthur  Favreau,  Secretary  of  the  Societe  Historique  Franco- 
Americaine;  "Champlain,  a  Drama  in  Three  Acts,"  by  J.  M.  Har- 
per, and  "  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain,"  by  W.  Max 
Reid.  TTie  July  number  of  the  Travel  Magazine  was  largely  devoted 
to  the  history  of  Lake  Champlain  and  the  celebration.  Many  of  the 
leading  newspapers  devoted  illustrated  pages  to  the  subject  just  prior  to 
the  celebration,  as  did  also  several  of  the  magazines  with  popular  or 
more  distinctively  historical  or  literary  features.  The  Education  Depart- 
ment of  New  York  State  recognized  the  occasion  by  issuing  an  attractive 
and  useful  pamphlet  on  the  subject.  A  few  days  before  the  celebration 
began  a  publicity  bureau  was  organized  for  co-operation  with  the  mem- 
bers and  for  the  systematic  dissemination  of  reports,  the  extension  of 
courtesies  to  representatives  of  the  press,  etc.  Much  of  the  detail  of  this 
work  was  admirably  carried  through  by  Mr.  L.  E.  Shattuck.  The 
Commission  caused  a  commemoration  medal  to  be  struck  bearing  the 


60  State  of  New  York 


conventional  portrait  of  Samuel  Champlain  on  the  obverse  and  a  repre- 
sentation of  his  entrance  into  the  lake  on  the  reverse.  A  small  number 
of  these  medals  were  struck  In  gold  and  white  metal,  but  the  greater  part 
of  them  were  in  bronze.  One  of  the  medals  and  a  copy  of  all  printed 
matter  issued  by  the  Commission  has  been  deposited  in  the  State  Library 
at  Albany. 

Among  the  many  things  undertaken  in  the  way  of  advertising  or 
decoration  may  be  mentioned  the  five  oil  portraits  of  Champlain,  painted 
by  Mrs.  L.  Kirby-Parrish.  These  were  used  in  decorative  designs. 
After  the  celebration,  one  of  them  was  presented  by  the  Commission  to 
Commissioner  Lafontaine,  one  to  the  Catholic  Summer  School  at  Cliff 
Haven  and  one  to  Commissioner  Booth,  to  be  given  by  him  to  one  of  the 
French  societies  at  Plattsburgh. 

The  general  celebration  plans  recognized  the  desirability  of  general 
co-operation  by  organized  bodies  resident  in  the  Champlain  region. 
Labor  organizations,  fraternal  societies,  the  local  granges,  and  numerous 
other  organizations  shared  in  one  phase  or  another  of  the  celebration. 
The  Plattsburgh  Rod  and  Gun  Club  arranged  a  shooting  tournament  and 
exhibition  of  expert  team  shooting.  The  sum  of  $300  was  given  in 
prizes  for  racing  contests  between  sailing  or  motor  boats. 

Suitable  displays  of  fireworks  were  made  on  successive  evenings  at 
Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point,  Plattsburgh  and  Rouse's  Point.  In  several 
of  the  towns  local  committees  raised  independent  funds  for  their  town 
celebrations  in  addition  to  the  work  of  the  State  Commission.  The  citi- 
zens of  Plattsburgh  subscribed  $10,000  as  an  independent  fund;  Bur- 
lington subscribed  a  like  amount,  which  was  doubled  by  individual  sub- 
scriptions. Isle  La  Motte,  the  smallest  of  the  towns  sharing  in  the  general 
celebration,  raised  $500  as  its  contribution  to  the  occasion.  At  Rouse's 
Point  the  local  village  board  appointed  committees  and  made  an  appro- 
priation for  the  day.  Similar  action  was  taken  at  other  places  on  the 
lake.  These  special  funds  were  devoted  usually  to  decorations  and 
prizes  for  aquatic  races  and  other  contests. 

In  planning  and  carrying  forward  the  Tercentenary  Celebration, 
special  mention  should  be  made  of  the  co-operation  of  the  people  of  the 


JOHN   H.   BOOTH 

Member  of  New  York  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  61 

Champlain  valley  and  of  the  timely  suggestions  made  and  valuable  assist- 
ance rendered  in  various  w^ays  to  the  Commission  by  Governor  Charles 

E.  Hughes,  Lieutenant-Governor  Horace  White,  Major-General  Charles 

F.  Roe,  Brigadier-General  Nelson  H.  Henry,  Adjutant-General; 
Hon.  Jacob  M.  Dickinson,  Secretary  of  War;  Colonel  H.  O.  S. 
Heistand,  Adjutant-General  U.  S.  A.;  the  United  States  Senators  and 
Members  of  Congress  from  New  York  and  Vermont;  Hon.  Fletcher 
D.  Proctor,  ex-Governor  of  Vermont;  Hon.  George  H.  Prouty,  Gov- 
ernor, and  other  members  of  the  Vermont  Tercentenary  Commission; 
Hon.  Joseph  C.  Sibley;  Colonel  Calvin  D.  Cowles  and  Colonel  William 
Paulding,  both  U.  S.  A.;  the  Hon.  Frank  S.  Witherbee,  of  Port 
Henry;  Hon.  Nelson  W.  Fisk,  of  Isle  La  Motte.  Vt.;  Ira  H.  Shoe- 
maker, Esq.,  industrial  agent  of  the  D.  &  H.  R.  R.;  Mr.  A.  A. 
Heard,  General  Passenger  Agent  of  the  D.  &  H.  R.  R. ;  Daniel 
A.  Loomis,  Superintendent  of  the  Champlain  Transportation  Com- 
pany; Hon.  John  R.  Myers,  of  Rouse's  Point;  Hon.  Andrew  S. 
Draper,  Commissioner  of  Education;  Dr.  William  A.  E.  Cummings, 
President  of  the  Ticonderoga  Historical  Society;  Hon.  Francis  Lynda 
Stetson,  President,  and  Hon.  Benjamin  E.  Hall,  and  Edmund  Seymour, 
Esq.,  of  the  board  of  Governors  of  the  Lake  Champlain  Association; 
Hon.  Victor  H.  Paltsits,  State  Historian;  Hon.  Smith  M.  Weed  of 
Pittsburgh,  Col.  Robert  M.  Thompson  of  New  York,  Stephen  H.  P. 
Pell,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  Hon.  John  F.  O'Brien,  Hon.  Thomas  F. 
Conway  and  many  others,  including  various  patriotic  societies. 

Governor  Hughes  received  the  Commissioners  on  December  5,  1908, 
listened  to  their  report  of  progress  to  that  date  and  of  their  plans,  and 
gave  to  the  work  his  hearty  endorsement. 

The  Commission  arranged  with  the  trunk  lines  reaching  the  valley 
for  round  trip  excursions  at  one  and  one-half  fares,  with  suitable  time 
extension  on  the  tickets.  The  steamer  Ticonderoga  was  engaged  for 
five  days  and  placed  wholly  at  the  service  of  the  Commission.  The 
greater  part  of  the  Hotel  Champlain  at  Bluff  Point  was  similarly  secured 
by  the  Commission  for  its  guests. 


62  State  of  New  York 

It  was  found  necessary  in  some  places  to  repair  the  docks  and  at  Ticon- 
deroga  practically  to  build  a  new  one.  This  work  was  carried  out  under 
the  direction  of  the  Commission. 

By  the  middle  of  June  these  and  numberless  other  details  had  been 
satisfactorily  arranged.  At  the  suggestion  of  the  Secretary  the  Com- 
mission requested  Dr.  John  M.  Clarke,  State  Geologist,  to  prepare  a 
paper  on  the  geology  of  the  Champlain  valley,  to  be  published  with  the 
official  report  of  the  celebration. 

On  May  29th,  Secretary  Hill  announced  the  completion  of  the  liter- 
ary programme,  giving  the  schedule  of  speakers  at  Crown  Point, 
Ticonderoga,  Plattsburgh  and  other  points,  and  the  Banquet  Committee 
announced  the  progress  of  arrangements  for  the  banquet  to  the  Presi- 
dent at  Hotel  Champlain.  These  arrangements,  as  the  following  pages 
record,  were  ultimately  carried  out  with  but  little  change. 

As  the  work  of  the  two  commissions  matured,  the  results  attained 
through  their  joint  efforts  were  formulated  in  a  bi-State  programme  of 
exercises,  arranged  to  be  held  at  the  various  places  on  July  4th  to  9th, 
inclusive. 

Religious  exercises  were  appointed  for  Sunday,  July  4th,  with  some 
devotional  features  for  other  days,  to  be  conducted  and  shared  in  by 
distinguished  prelates,  among  them  some  of  the  most  eminent  church 
dignitaries  of  Canada  and  the  United  States. 

The  week-day  programmes  presented  a  combination  of  spectacular, 
musical,  patriotic  and  literary  features.  The  purely  spectacular  enter- 
tainments, many  of  which  were  of  an  historical  character,  proved  highly 
instructive  as  well  as  entertaining  to  the  multitudes.  Other  features  of  the 
programme,  which  appealed  chiefly  to  the  eye,  were  necessarily  of  a 
popular  character,  but  were  carried  out  with  exceptional  skill  and  effect. 

The  participation  of  the  militia  of  Canada,  Vermont  and  the  National 
Guard  of  New  York,  and  of  detachments  of  the  United  States  army  and 
navy,  was  everywhere  throughout  the  week  one  of  the  most  enjoyable 
features  of  the  programme. 


JOHN   B.   RILEY 
Member  ot  New  York  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  63 

The  crowning  success,  however,  lay  in  the  Hterary  offerings  and  the 
participation  of  the  executive  heads  of  government.  New  York  and 
Vermont,  and  Canada,  were  thus  officially  represented ;  and  the  presence 
and  utterances  of  the  diplomatic  representatives  of  Great  Britain  and  of 
France,  and  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  members  of  his 
cabinet,  lent  to  the  celebration  an  extraordinary  dignity  and  significance. 
Through  these  high  official  representatives  were  heard,  as  it  were,  the 
voices  of  three  great  nations  offering  to  each  other  sincere  assurances  of 
esteem  and  amity.  The  occasion  of  such  pledges  marked  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world  a  new  step  in  the  progress  of  the  nations  towards  the  era  of 
peace  and  good-will. 

The  official  programme  of  these  exercises  was  as  follows : 

BI-STATE  PROGRAMME  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN  TER- 
CENTENARY CELEBRATION  EXERCISES 
Sunday,  July  4,  1909 

Commemoration  Exercises  will  occur  in  many  of  the  churches  in  the  cities,  towns 

and  villages  in  and  about  the  Lake  and  elsewhere  in  the 

States  of  New  York  and  Vermont 

Monday,  July  5,  1909  —  Crown  Point  Forts,  N.  Y. 

1  1 .00     A.   M.      Sham  Battle. 
12.00  Noon.      Interval  for  lunch. 
1.30      P.   M.      Salute  by  the  United  States  Naval  Flotilla  to  the  Governors  of 

New  York  and  Vermont. 
2.00      P.  M.      Indian  Pageants,  under  the  leadership  of  L.  O.  Armstrong,  by  the 
Descendants  of  the  Native  Tribes  occupying  the  Champlain 
Valley. 
3.00     p.   M.      Literary  Exercises,  including 

A  Brief  Address  by  Governor  Charles  E.  Hughes. 

Historical  Addresses  by  Hon.  Seth  Low  of  New  York,  and 

Judge  Albert  C.  Barnes  of  Chicago. 
An  Original   Poem,  entitled,   "  Song  for  the  Tercentenary  of 
Lake  Champlain,**  by  Chnton  ScoUard  of  Chnton,  N.  Y. 


64  State  of  New  York 


BI-STATE  PROGRAMME  — 

Continued 

4.30 

p. 

M. 

Evening  parade. 

5.00 

p. 

M. 

Governor  and  Gammissions  depart  for 

Ticonderoga. 

6.00 

p. 

M. 

Interval  for  Supper. 

7.45 

p. 

M. 

Indian  Pageants. 

9.00 

p. 

M. 

Fireworks. 

7.30 

A.    M. 

10.00 

A.    M. 

11.00 

A.    M. 

12.00 

Noon. 

1. 00 

p.    M. 

Tuesday,  July  6,  1 909  —  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y. 

Departure  of  Special  Guest  Train  from  Albany  over  the  D.  &  H. 
R.  R.   for  Ticonderoga  and  Plattsburgh. 

Review  of  1 0th  Regiment,  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  by  Governors  Hughes 
and  Prouty. 

Sham  Battle  along  Old  French  Lines. 

Lunch  to  Guests  on  Steamer  Ticonderoga. 

Literary  Exercises  at  Grand  Stand,  including  brief  addresses  by 
Vice-President  James  S.  Sherman,  Governor  Charles  E. 
Hughes  of  New  York,  and  Governor  George  H.  Prouty  of 
Vermont. 

An  Historical  Address,  entitled,  "  The  Story  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,"  by  Dr.  Hamilton  W.  Mabie  of  New  York. 

An  Original  Ballad,  entitled,  "  Ticonderoga,"  by  Percy  Mac- 
Kaye  of  Cornish,  New  Hampshire. 

2.30  p.  M.  Salute  to  the  President  of  the  United  Stales,  by  the  United  Stales 
Naval  Flotilla,  and  Addresses  by  President  Taft  and  other 
distinguished  guests. 

3.45  P.  M.  Departure  of  Presidential  Party,  Governors  Hughes  and  Prouty, 
Commissions  and  invited  guests. 


4.00 

p. 

M. 

Indian  Pageants. 

6.00 

P. 

M. 

Interval  for  Supper. 

7.45 

p. 

M. 

Indian  Pageants. 

8.45 

p. 

M. 

Fireworks. 

LOUIS  C.   LAFONTAINZ 


Member  of  New  York  Commission 


HON.   HORACE  WHITE 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  New  York  during  the  celebration 


9.45 

A. 

M. 

10.30 

A. 

M. 

10.30 

A. 

M. 

12.30 

P. 

M. 

1.30 

P. 

M. 

2.00 

P. 

M. 

The  Champlain  Tercentenary  65 


BI-STATE  PROGRAMME  — Con/mue J 
Wednesday,  July  7,  1909  —  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y. 

Address  by  the  President  at  Cliff  Haven. 

Indian  Pageants  at  Mouth  of  Saranac  River,  Plattsburgh. 

Private  Reception  by  the  President  to  the  Representatives  of 
Foreign  Governments  and  Members  of  the  New  York  Legis- 
lature at  Hotel  Champlain. 

Luncheon. 

Special  Train,  Hotel  Champlain  for  Plattsburgh  Barracks. 

Parade  and  Review  of  Military,  Civic  and  Fraternal  Organizations 
at  Plattsburgh  Barracks. 

3.00  P.  M.  Literary  Exercises  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  including  brief 
addresses  by 

President  William  Howard  Taft. 

The  Hon.  J.  J.  Jusserand,  the  French  Ambassador. 

Rl.  Hon.  James  Bryce,  the  British  Ambassador. 

Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux,  Postmaster-General  of  Canada. 

Speaker  Joseph  G.  Cannon,  Governors  Hughes  and  Prouty. 

A  Formal  Historical  Address,  entitled  "  The  Iroquois  and  the 
Struggle  for  America,"  by  the  Hon.  Elihu  Root,  U.  S. 
Senator  from  New  York. 

An  Original  Poem,  entitled,  "  Champlain  and  Lake  Cham- 
plain," by  Daniel  L.  Cady  of  New  York. 

Evening  Parade  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks. 

Indian  Pageants  at  Mouth  of  Saranac  River,  Plattsburgh. 

Banquet  to  the  President  at  Hotel  Champlain,  with  post-prandial 
speeches  by  the  President,  Vice-President,  and  distinguished 
guests. 

9.00      P.   M.      Fireworks  at  Mouth  of  Saranac  River,  Plattsburgh. 


5.00 

p.    M. 

7.45 

P.    M. 

8.00 

P.    M. 

66  State  of  New  York 


BI-STATE  PROGRAMME  —  Continued 
Thursday.  July  8,  1 909  —  Burlington,  Vt. 

9.00     A.   M.      Presidential  Parly,  Ambassadors,  State  Commissions  and  Invited 
Guests  leave  Hotel  Champlain  by  Steamer   for   Burlington 
where  they  arrive  at  10.00  A.  M.,  and  are  escorted  from  King 
Street   Wharf  to  City   Hall   Park  by  Vermont   Division   of 
National  Guard,  Col.  J.  Gray  Esley  commanding. 
10.30     A.   M.      Literary    Exercises    in    City    Hall    Park,    Gov.    G.    H.    Prouty 
presiding. 
Prayer,  Rt.  Rev.  Arthur  C.  A.  Hall,  D.  D.,  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Vermont. 
Welcome  to  Vermont,  Gov.  George  H.  Prouty. 
Welcome  to  Burlington,  the  Hon.  James  E.  Burke,  Mayor. 
Remarks,  Gov.  Charles  E.  Hughes  of  New  York. 
Address,  Rt.  Hon.  James  Bryce,  British  Ambassador. 
Remarks,  M.  Jusserand,  French  Ambassador. 
Remarks,  the  Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux,  Postmaster-General  of 

Canada. 
An  Original  Poem,  by  Bliss  Carman. 

Remarks,  the  Hon.  William  H.  Taft,  President  of  the  United 
States. 
12.00  Noon.      Review  of  Parade  by  Presidential  Party,   Foreign  Guests,  and 
Governors  Hughes  and  Prouty. 
1 .00      P.    M.      Luncheon  to  Presidential  Party  and  Ambassadorial  and  Official 
Guests  at  the  Ethan  Allen  Club  by  His  Excellency  Gov. 
Prouty  of  Vermont. 
1.00      P.   M.      Luncheon   to   New   York   State   Legislature   at   the    Gymnasium 

Building,  University  of  Vermont. 
2.30      P.   M.      Indian  Pageants,  Including  the  Indian  Drama,  "  Hiawatha,"  at 

water  front. 
4.00      P.   M.      Departure  of  New  York  Legislative  Guests  for  Plattsburgh. 
5.00  to  6.00   p.   M.      Inspection   of   the    City   by   the    Presidential    Party   and 

Foreign  Guests. 
6.30      P.   M.      Banquet  at  University  Gymnasium,  with  full  post-prandial  features, 

including  a  speech  by  President  Taft. 
8.30      P.   M.      Indian  Pageants,  including  the  Indian  Drama,  "  Hiawatha,"  at 
water  front. 


HON.  GEORGE  R.  MALBY,  M.  C. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  67 


BI-STATE  PROGRAMME  —  Continued 
Friday,  July  9,  1909  —  Isle  La  Motte,  Vt. 

8.00  A.  M.  Presidential,  Ambassadorial  and  Official  Parties  leave  Burlington 
via  Steamer  Ticonderoga.  joined  by  New  York  State 
Commission  and  Guests  at  Plattsburgh  en  route  for  Isle  La 
Motte. 

9.00  A.  M.  Departure  of  Special  New  York  Legislative  Guest  Train  from 
Hotel  Champlain  for  Albany,  N.  Y. 

10.30     A.   M.      Solemn   High   Mass  Sung  by   Right  Reverend  Thomas  M.   A. 
Burke,  Bishop  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Diocese  of  Albany. 

N.  Y. 

1  1 .45      A.   M.      Literary  Exercises,  Gov.  George  H.  Prouty  presiding. 

Prayer,  Rev.  John  M.  Thomas,  D.  D.,  President  of  Middle- 
bury  College. 

Welcome  to  Vermont,  Governor  George  H.  Prouty. 

Welcome  to  Isle  La  Motte,  by  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill  of 
Buffalo. 

Remarks,  Gov.  Charles  E.  Hughes  of  New  York. 

An  Original  Poem,  by  Prof.  John  Erskine  of  Columbia  Uni- 
versity. 

Address  by  Hon.  Wendell  P.  Stafford,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 

Chorus,  St.  Albans  Choral  Union. 

Benediction,  Rev.  John  M.  Thomas,  D.  D. 

1.30      P.   M.      Interval  for  Luncheon. 

2.30  P.  M.  Dedication  of  Boulder  in  Memory  of  Col.  Seth  Warner  and  Capl. 
Remember  Baker  by  the  Patriotic  Women  of  Vermont. 

3.30      P.   M.      Indian  Pageants. 

4.30  P.  M.  Departure  of  Presidential  Party  and  Distinguished  Guests  for 
Plattsburgh.  N.  Y.,  and  Burlington,  Vt. 


68  State  of  New  York 


BI-STATE  PROGRAMME  —  Continued 
Friday.  July  9.  1909  — Rouses  Point.  N.  Y. 

7.45      p.   M.      Indian  Pageants. 
9.00     P.  M.     Fireworks. 

Saturday,  July  10.  1909 

1 0.00  A.  M.  Water  Carnival,  consisting  of  motor-boat  and  canoe  races  and 
other  aquatic  sports,  at  Rouse's  Point,  N.  Y. 

1 0.00  A.  M.  Unveiling  of  a  Tablet  to  the  Memory  of  the  Soldiers  of  the  War 
of  1812,  on  the  main  building  of  the  University  of  Vermont, 
which  was  used  as  barracks  for  the  troops  in  the  second  war 
against  Great  Britain,  at  Burlington,  Vt. 

The  Vice-President  of  the  United  ^States  and  Speaker  Joseph  G. 
Cannon  of  the  House  of  Representatives  were  unfortunately  not  able  to 
share  in  the  exercises,  which  otherwise  were  carried  out  substantially  as 
above  indicated. 

A  copy  of  the  official  invitation  to  the  general  exercises  of  the 
Tercentenary  celebration  will  be  found  elsewhere  herein. 


HON.   DAVID  J.   FOSTER.   M.  C. 


Part  Two 

THE  CELEBRATION 

69 


Copyrighted  and  by  coui-tesy  of  J.  >'.  Eulloek,  1008 

HON.   FRANK  PLUMLEY,   M.  C. 


I.  GENERAL  FEATURES:  MILITARY  AND  NAVAL. 
AND  THE  INDIAN  PAGEANTS 

71 


LYNN   M.  HAYS 
Secretary  of  Vermont  Commission 


I.  GENERAL  FEATURES:  MILITARY  AND  NAVAL. 
AND  THE  INDIAN  PAGEANTS 

THE  CELEBRATION  PROGRAMME  as  arranged,  presented  several 
unusual  features.  In  order  to  bring  as  many  of  the  lakeside  com- 
munities as  possible  into  participation,  it  was  necessary  to  provide  a 
peripatetic  entertainment  —  in  President  Taft's  much-quoted  phrase,  "  a 
traveling  show,"  which  after  offering  its  programme  at  one  place,  could 
move  on  and  entertain  again  at  another  town,  but  always  with  new 
features  and  with  a  different  audience.  These  conditions  presented  prob- 
lems to  the  commissioners  far  more  perplexing  than  would  have  been  the 
planning  of  a  celebration  at  one  place;  but  the  very  elements  which  at  first 
were  thought  to  be  obstacles,  were  utilized  as  aids  and  accessories;  and, 
with  the  blue  lake  itself  as  stage  and  the  Green  Mountains  as  scenery,  the 
celebration  was  carried  through  without  fault  or  failure,  each  day's  pro- 
gramme gaining  by  the  experience  of  what  had  gone  before,  until  on  the 
last  day  —  as  perfect  with  soft  airs,  sunshine  and  cerulean  vault  over  all, 
as  was  ever  granted  for  the  enjoyment  of  humankind  —  this  great, 
moving,  open-air  drama  reached  its  climax  on  the  historic  and  hospitable 
shores  of  Isle  La  Motte. 

TTiere  were  in  effect  six  acts  to  the  drama:  The  exercises  at  Crown 
Point,  at  Ticonderoga,  at  Bluff  Point  and  Plattsburgh,  on  the  New  York 
side;  and  at  Burlington  and  Isle  La  Motte,  in  Vermont.  Everywhere 
throughout  the  valley  and  during  the  whole  week,  cities  and  villages  were 
en  fete.  There  was  good-natured  rivalry  in  the  arrangement  of  local 
programmes  of  sports  and  contests,  and  in  decorating  the  streets  and 
buildings.  Especially  to  be  noted  was  the  combined  use  everywhere  of 
the  American  flag  and  the  flags  of  France  —  not  merely  the  tricolor 
emblem  of  the  great  French  republic,  but  historic  banners  of  many  colors 
and  devices.  Very  popular  and  effective  in  these  decorations  were  the 
old  French  flag  of  blue  with  the  white  cross  of  St.  Louis ;  and  the  royal 

73 


74  State  of  New  York 

emblem  of  blue,  or  sometimes  of  cream  color,  emblazoned  with  golden 
fleur-de-lis,  the  flag  of  Henry  IV.  of  France,  which  Champlaiin,  as  a 
personal  representative  of  the  king,  was  entitled  to  carry. 

The  occasion  took  on  a  dual  significance  in  that  it  celebrated  not  only 
the  300th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  the  lake,  but  the  1 33d  anniver- 
sary of  the  independence  of  the  United  States. 

At  Ticonderoga,  at  Crown  Point,  and  elsewhere,  allusions  were  some- 
times made,  in  the  course  of  the  exercises,  to  certain  events  in  the  valley 
regarding  which  the  historians  are  not  in  agreement.  One  of  these  much- 
disputed  points  relates  to  the  date  of  Champlain's  entrance  into  the  lake. 
Another  regards  the  place  of  his  battle  with  the  Iroquois.  Certain 
authorities  conclude  that  it  occurred  in  Bulwagga  Bay.  This  view,  it 
is  understood,  is  held  by  many  residents  of  Port  Henry,  Crown  Point 
and  vicinity.  Others,  among  them  numerous  residents  of  Ticonderoga, 
side  with  such  authorities  as  find  the  scene  of  the  conflict  to  have  been 
at  or  near  the  outlet  of  Ticonderoga  creek.  Still  another  much-discussed 
question  is  in  regard  to  the  burial  place  of  Lord  George  Augustus  Howe, 
whose  remains  are  claimed  by  some  to  have  been  found  during  excava- 
tions a  few  years  ago,  in  Ticonderoga  village ;  whereas  others  find  satisfac- 
tory proofs  that  his  body  was  carried  to  Albany  and  buried  there,  under 
the  chancel  of  St.  Peter's  church.  These  and  perhaps  other  points  still 
in  dispute  offer  a  profitable  field  of  further  inquiry  for  the  student  of 
Champlain  history. 

Two  features  of  the  programme  that  everywhere  interested  and 
delighted  the  public  were:  First,  the  military  and  naval  representation; 
and,  second,  the  Indians  in  their  realistic  history  dramas.  As  these  phases 
of  the  general  programme  were  repeated  at  several  places  on  the  succes- 
sive days,  a  general  account  of  each  will  here  suffice.  The  comprehensive 
report  of  the  Military  and  Naval  Committee,  covering  this  feature  of  the 
progranmie  for  the  entire  week,  is  as  follows: 


FRANK  L.   FISH 
Member  of  Vermont  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  75 


REPORT  OF  THE  MILITARY  AND  NAVAL  COMMITTEE. 

The  military  and  naval  features  of  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commis- 
sion were  of  great  interest  to  those  who  witnessed  them  and  added  much  to  the 
success  of  the  celebration. 

The  Army 

The  Hon.  Jacob  M.  Dickinson,  Secretary  of  War,  gave  instructions,  early  in 
the  spring,  to  have  the  Army  participate  in  the  celebration,  and  he  arrived  at  Fort 
Ticonderoga  July  6th,  on  the  presidential  train  from  Washington  and  was  present 
at  all  the  subsequent  ceremonies. 

The  details  of  the  movements  of  the  United  States  troops  were  arranged  by 
Colonel  H.  O.  S.  Heistand,  Adjutant-General,  by  order  of  Major-General  Leonard 
Wood,  commanding  the  Department  of  the  East. 

A  squadron  of  the  Fifteenth  United  States  Cavalry,  under  command  of 
Captain  W.  T.  Littebrant,  proceeded  from  Fort  Ethan  Allen  in  the  end  of  June 
on  a  practice  march.  Reaching  Larrabee's  Point  June  25  th,  the  lake  was  crossed 
the  next  day  to  Ticonderoga  where  a  camp  was  established  until  June  28th.  The 
squadron  proceeded  along  the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  by  easy  marches,  to  Platts- 
burgh  Barracks,  where  it  arrived  July  3d.  The  squadron  received  the  presidential 
train  at  Bluff  Point,  Tuesday  evening,  July  6th,  and  escorted  the  President  to  the 
Hotel  Champlain.  On  July  7th  the  squadron  again  acted  as  escort  to  the  President 
from  the  Hon.  Smith  M.  Weed's  house  to  Plattsburgh  Barracks  and  later  took 
part  in  the  parade  and  review.  Resuming  the  practice  march  on  July  7th,  the 
squadron  crossed  the  lake  at  Chazy  Landing,  and  camped  for  two  nights  at  Isle 
La  Motte,  near  the  site  of  old  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  and  acted  as  escort  to  Governors 
Hughes  and  Prouty  at  the  celebration  held  there  Friday,  July  9th.  The  squadron 
returned  to  Fort  Ethan  Allen  by  the  road  over  the  islands. 

The  Fifth  United  States  Infantry,  Colonel  Calvin  D.  Cowles,  was  stationed 
at  Plattsburgh  Barracks  and  participated  in  all  events  of  the  celebration  there,  and 
also  in  the  parade  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  on  July  8th.  Colonel  Cowles  was  in  com- 
mand of  all  the  United  States  troops  and  Grand  Marshal  of  the  parade  in  Platts- 
burgh, July  7th.  He  did  all  in  his  power  to  assist  the  commission  in  the  erection  of 
the  grand  stand  and  details  of  the  parade,  and  deserves  their  sincere  thanks. 

The  Twenty-fourth  United  States  Infantry,  Colonel  William  Paulding,  a 
colored  regiment,  came  by  rail  from  Madison  Barracks  July  3d,  and  took  part  in 
the  parade  and  review  July  7th,  returning  July  8th.     The  infantry  regiments  were 


76  State  of  New  York 


accompanied  by  their  machine  gun  platoons  and  mule  pack  trains,  which  presented 
a  most  business-like  appearance. 

The  Navy 

The  United  States  Navy  was  represented  by  a  flotilla  consisting  of  the  torpedo 
boat  Manle])  and  two  steam  cutters,  the  Plaihburgb  and  the  Burlington,  under 
command  of  Lieutenant  George  W.  Steele,  Jr.,  U.  S.  N.,  with  Midshipman 
Gerard  Bradford,  U.  S.  N.,  and  sixteen  sailors.  The  department  was  unable 
to  send  any  larger  boats  on  account  of  the  limited  depth  of  water  in  the  Cham- 
plain  canal,  but  the  little  flotilla  was  of  great  interest  to  the  people  along  the 
canal  and  shores  of  Lake  Champlain,  as  it  was  the  first  time  the  Navy  had  been 
represented  in  those  regions  since  the  period  of  the  War  of  1812,  when  its 
achievements  won  the  praise  and  gratitude  of  the  Nation.  Lieutenant  Steele  had 
his  flotilla  present  for  the  celebrations  at  Crown  Point,  N.  Y.,  Fort  Ticonderoga, 
N.  Y.,  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.,  Burlington,  Vt.,  Isle  La  Motte,  Vt.,  and  Rouse's 
Point,  N.  Y.  Salutes  were  fired  in  honor  of  President  Taft  and  Governor 
Hughes,  and  the  Manley  escorted  the  steamboat  Ticonderoga  and  steam  yacht 
ValcouT  while  the  President  was  on  board.  A  guard  of  honor  of  blue  jackets, 
under  command  of  Midshipman  Gerard  Bradford,  U.  S.  N.,  was  landed  and 
posted  before  the  speakers'  stand  at  Fort  Amherst,  Fort  Ticonderoga,  and  before 
the  reviewing  stand  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks.  The  guard  excited  much  favorable 
comment  from  its  excellent  appearance  and  from  the  fact  that  United  States  sailors 
were  an  unusual  sight  in  those  places.  The  thanks  of  the  commissioners  are  due 
to  Lieutenant  Steele  for  the  duty  he  performed  in  connection  with  the  New  York 
Commission. 

The  National  Guard 

The  arrangements  for  the  participation  of  the  Stale  troops  in  the  celebration  were 
made  by  Major-General  Charles  F.  Roe,  Brigadier-General  Nelson  H.  Henry, 
Adjutant-General,  and  Brigadier-General  James  H.  Lloyd,  commanding  the 
Third  Brigade,  and  the  thanks  of  the  commission  are  due  these  officers. 
General  Lloyd  inspected  sites  for  camps  early  in  the  season  and  orders  were  issued 
for  the  regiments  of  that  brigade  to  encamp  at  Crovm  Point  and  Plattsburgh 
Barracks  for  field  service.  The  commander-in-chief.  Governor  Hughes,  accom- 
panied by  Mrs.  Hughes  and  Colonel  George  C.  Treadwell,  Military  Secretary, 
arrived  at  Bluff  Point  on  the  evening  of  Sunday,  July  4th,  and  was  received  by 
the  members  of  the  commission,  and  his  Aides,  Captain  Louis  W.  Stotesbury, 
Seventh  Regiment,  A.  D.  C,  and  Captain  William  R.  Fearn,  Seventy-first 
Regiment,  A.  D.  C.     General  Roe  arrived  at  the  Hotel  Champlain  July  3d,  and 


PRESIDENT  JOHN   M.  THOMAS 

Member  of  Vermont  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  77 


General  Henry  joined  the  presidential  train  at  Albany  as  escort  to  President  Taft, 
who  was  accompanied  by  Captain  A.  W.  Butt.  U.  S.  A.,  Major  Oliver  B. 
Bridgman,  Squadron  "A."  A.  D.  C,  escort  to  the  British  Ambassador;  and 
Commander  Robert  P.  Forshew,  Second  Battalion.  Naval  Militia.  A.  D.  C, 
escort  to  the  French  Ambassador,  were  on  their  special  cars  attached  to  the  presi- 
dential train,  which  arrived  at  Addison  Junction  July  6th  at  2.30  P.  M.  First 
Lieutenant  Frederick  M.  Crossett.  Eighth  Artillery  District.  A.  D.  C.  escort  to 
the  representatives  of  Canada,  arrived  with  his  party  in  special  cars  from  Montreal 
at  Bluff  Point  on  Tuesday  evening,  July  6th.  General  Lloyd  was  in  camp  with 
his  troops. 

The  Tenth  Regiment.  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  Colonel  John  L  Pruyn.  went  into  camp 
at  Crown  Point  near  old  Forts  Frederic  and  Amherst  on  Sunday,  June  27th. 
On  Monday.  July  5th,  when  the  steam  yacht  Valcour,  loaned  to  the  com- 
mission by  Hon.  Joseph  C.  Sibley,  arrived  at  the  wharf  at  Crown  Point,  with  the 
New  York  State  official  party,  the  Governor  was  received  by  a  guard  of  honor 
from  the  regiment  and  escorted  to  the  platform  to  witness  the  Indian  pageant  and 
from  there  to  the  speaker's  stand  inside  Fort  Amherst.  After  the  literary  exer- 
cises the  Governor  reviewed  the  regiment  on  the  adjoining  parade  ground.  Early 
Tuesday  morning.  July  6th,  the  regiment  was  transported  on  the  steamer  7  icon- 
deroga  to  Fort  Ticonderoga,  and  marching  along  the  old  military  road,  bivouacked 
near  the  railroad  station.  At  I  I  A.  M.  the  regiment  was  reviewed  on  the  north 
field  by  Governor  Hughes  and  Vice-Admiral  Stokichi  Uriu,  Imperial  Japanese 
Navy.  After  the  review  the  regiment  was  deployed  in  extended  order  before  the 
French  lines  and  fought  a  realistic  sham  battle  through  the  woods  to  the  old 
earthworks.  When  the  presidential  train  arrived  at  Addison  Junction,  at 
2.30  P.  M.,  President  Taft  was  received  by  a  company  detailed  as  Guard  of 
Honor,  and  then  reviewed  the  regiment  in  line  on  the  school  lot.  At  3.30  P.  M. 
two  battalions  entrained  for  their  home  stations,  leaving  one  battalion  for  guard 
duty.  There  were  over  1 0.000  people  on  the  garrison  grounds  and  they  witnessed 
the  manoeuvres  of  the  regiment  with  great  interest.  Colonel  Pruyn.  the  officers  and 
men  deserve  great  credit  for  the  excellent  appearance  they  made  in  spite  of  the 
rainy  weather  and  muddy  ground.  The  battalion  detailed  for  guard  duty  per- 
formed their  task  in  a  most  business-like  and  prompt  manner,  and  remained  until  the 
departure  of  the  official  party  on  the  steamer  Ticonderoga  at  4.30  P.  M. 

The  Second  Regiment,  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  Colonel  James  W.  Lester,  went  into 
camp  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  Saturday,  July  3d,  and  remained  there  for  eight 
days;  the  regiment  participated  in  the  parade  and  review  July  7th  and  created 
much  favorable  comment  for  its  fine  appearance  and  full  ranks.     This  camp  was 


78  State  of  New  York 


beautifully  located  near  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  was  of  great  interest  to  the 
many  thousand  visitors  to  Plattsburgh  during  the  celebration.  The  First  Regiment, 
N.  G.  N.  Y.,  Colonel  Charles  H.  Hitchcock,  relieved  the  Second  Regiment  on 
July  1  0th  and  also  spent  eight  days  in  field  practice.  Although  the  celebration  was 
over  there  were  many  visitors,  and  the  people  of  Plattsburgh  were  pleased  to  have 
two  such  fine  regiments  of  the  State  Guard  encamped  near  their  city. 

The  Canadian  Troops 

Two  regiments  of  Canadian  troops,  the  Fifth  Royal  Canadian  Highlanders, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  George  S.  Cantlie,  and  the  Governor-General's  Foot  Guards, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  D.  R.  Street,  arrived  in  Plattsburgh  Wednesday  morning, 
July  7th,  and  were  a  most  interesting  feature  of  the  parade  and  review.  The 
brilliant  red  uniforms  of  the  Guards  with  their  high  bearskin  shakos  and  the  pic- 
turesque Scotch  Highlanders,  with  their  pipers,  made  a  striking  contrast  with  the 
olive  drab  of  the  National  Guard  and  dark  and  light  blue  of  the  United  States 
infantry  and  cavalry.  The  Highlanders  returned  to  Montreal  by  special  train 
at  1  I  P.  M.  the  day  of  the  parade.  The  Guards  spent  the  night  at  Plattsburgh 
Barracks  and  were  transported  with  the  Fifth  United  States  Infantry  early  in  the 
morning  of  July  8th  on  the  steamer  Ticonderoga  to  Burlington,  Vt.,  where 
they  participated  in  the  parade  in  that  city,  returning  to  Ottawa  by  special  train 
late  that  night. 

The  Review  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks 

The  review  and  evening  parade  held  on  the  parade  ground  of  Plattsburgh 
Barracks,  on  Lake  Champlain,  with  the  Green  Mountains  in  the  distance,  was  one 
of  the  finest  military  displays  ever  seen  in  this  country.  Although  there  were  only 
about  3,500  men  present,  the  different  masses  of  the  troops  in  their  varied  uniforms 
presented  a  most  striking  appearance.  It  was  stated  that  this  was  the  first  occasion 
in  the  history  of  the  country  that  a  President  of  the  United  States  had  reviewed 
two  Canadian  regiments  v»ath  regular  and  State  troops.  TTie  military  manceuvres 
were  carried  out  in  such  a  perfect  manner  as  to  call  for  enthusiastic  applause  from 
the  20,000  spectators.  The  grand  stand,  with  the  guard  of  blue  jackets  on  the 
west  side  of  the  parade  ground,  held  2,500  guests  of  the  commission,  and  also 
presented  a  picturesque  scene.  The  President  of  the  United  States,  the  Secretary 
of  War,  Governor  Hughes  and  his  staff.  Governor  Prouty  and  his  staff;  the 
British  Ambassador,  the  French  Ambassador  with  his  naval  attache.  Lieutenant 
Benoist  d'Azy,  and  the  military  attache.  Captain  de  Chambrun,  in  the  full  uni- 
forms of  their  respective  services;  the  Canadian  representatives  with  their  military 
aides  in  the  uniforms  of  the  British  Army;  Vice- Admiral  Uriu  in  the  uniform  of 


HORACE  \y.   BAILEY 

Member  of  Vermont  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  79 

the  Japanese  Navy;  the  New  York  senators  and  assemblymen,  the  joint  tercen- 
tenary commissioners  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  and  many  ladies  in  bright  sum- 
mer costumes,  were  on  the  stand.  The  official  order  of  the  parade  in  Plattsburgh 
and  the  official  orders  from  the  Department  of  the  East  and  from  the  Adjutant- 
General's  office  at  Albany  are  herewith  attached. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

HowLAND  Pell, 

Chairman. 
[The  orders  of  parade,  etc.,  are  here  omitted.] 

List  of  Officers  Present  at  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary)  Celebration, 

July  A  to  10,  1909 
Fifth  United  States  Infantry 

1 .  Colonel  C.  D.  Cowles. 

2.  Major  B.   H.   Dutcher,   Medical  Department. 

3.  Major   W.  F.  Martin. 

4.  Captain  E.   Wittenmyer. 

5.  Captain  H.   O.   Williams. 

6.  Captain  E.   T.   Hartmann. 

7.  Captain  R.   Field. 

8.  Captain  A.   F.   Prescott. 

9.  Captain  H.  C.  Price. 
10.  Captain  J.   K.   Partello. 

I  I .  Chaplain  H.  A.  Chouinard. 

12.  First  Lieutenant  A.   E.   Deitsch. 

13.  First  Lieutenant  S.   H.   Hopson. 

14.  First   Lieutenant  A.   L.    Singleton. 

15.  First  Lieutenant  W.   D.   Wills. 

16.  First  Lieutenant  J.   E.   McDonald. 

1 7.  First  Lieutenant  N.   J.   Wiley. 

18.  First  Lieutenant  D.   Whiting. 

19.  Second  Lieutenant  W.   Goodwin. 

20.  Second  Lieutenant  K.   Truesdell. 

21.  Second   Lieutenant   T.    L.   Crystal. 

22.  Second  Lieutenant  A.   C.  Tipton. 


80  State  of  New  York 


Fifth  United  States  Infantry  —  Continued 

23.  Second  Lieutenant  A.   Rutherford. 

24.  Second  Lieutenant  C.   H.   White. 

25.  Second  Lieutenant  P.  Lamed. 

26.  Second  Lieutenant  J.   F.   Curry. 

together  with  four  hundred  and  ninety  (490)  enhsted  men  of  the  Fifth  Infantry, 
and  Hospital  Corps  stationed  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  N.  Y.,  took  part  in  both 
parades. 

All  above  named  officers  took  part  in  parades  at  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.,  and  Bur- 
lington, Vermont,  except  Captain  Hartmann,  who  did  not  take  part  in  the  parade 
at  Burlington,  Vermont. 

The  band,  Fifth  Infantry,  also  look  part  in  both  parades. 

List  of  Officers  Present  at  the  Laf(e  Champlain  Tercentenary  Celebration, 

Jul\,4  to  10,  1909 

Twenty-Fourth  United  States  Infantry 

1.  Colonel  William  Paulding. 

2.  First  Lieutenant  Eben  C.  Hill,  M.  R.  Corps. 

3.  Major  Samson  L.  Faison. 

4.  Major  Carl  Reichman. 

5.  Chaplain  W.   W.   E.   Gladden. 

6.  Captain  and  Commissary  Hunter  B.  Nelson. 

7.  Second  Lieutenant  Frank  Moorman,   B.   Q.   M.  &  C. 

8.  Second  Lieutenant  John  C.   French,  B.  Q.   M.  &  C. 

9.  Captain  William  B.  Cochran. 

10.  Captain  Robert  J.   Maxey. 

1 1 .  Captain  Charles  E.   Hay,  Jr. 

1 2.  First  Lieutenant  Robert  S.  Knox. 

1 3.  First  Lieutenant  Charles  J.   Nelson. 

14.  First  Lieutenant  Franklin  T.   Burt. 

15.  First  Lieutenant  Bowers   Davis. 

1 6.  Second  Lieutenant  Torrey  B.  Maghee. 

1 7.  Second  Lieutenant  Arthur  E.   Burton. 

18.  Captain  John  B.  Sanford,  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
and  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  (357)  enlisted  men. 


WALTER  H.   CROCKETT 
Member  of  Vermont  Commission 


GEORGE  T.  JARVIS 
Member  of  Vermont  GommissioQ 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  81 


Fifteenth  United  States  Cavalry 

1.  Captain  William  T.  Littebrant. 

2.  First  Squadron  Adjutant  Emory  Pike. 

3.  First  Lieutenant  Philip  Mowry. 

4.  Second  Lieutenant  Clark  P.  Chandler. 

5.  Second  Lieutenant  Leland  Wadsworth,  Jr. 
and  one  hundred  and  one  (101)  enlisted  men. 

The  above-named  men  took  part  in  the  parade  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  N.  Y., 
July  7,   1909.  only. 

The  band.  Twenty-fourth  United  States  Infantry,  also  took  part  in  the  parade 
at  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.,  on  July  7.   1909. 

List  of  Officers  of  Headquarters  Third  Brigade,  National  Guard,  Neiv 
Yorkt  Present  at  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Celebration, 
Juh  4  to  \0,]909 

Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Lloyd,  National  Guard,  New  York. 

Major  F.  A.   McNeely,   Adjutant-General. 

Major  J.   P.   Treanor,   Inspector-General. 

Major  J.   H.   Manning,  Commissary. 

Major  H.   W.   Bendell,   Surgeon. 

Major  A.   W.   La  Rose,  Quartermaster. 

Major  C.   H.   Gaus,   Ordnance  Officer. 

Major  Lansdale  Green,   Engineer. 

Captain  S.   H.   Cluett,  Assistant  to  Quartermaster. 

First  Lieutenant  Griswold  Green,  Aide. 

First  Lieutenant  H.   A.   Todd,  Aide. 

List  of  Officers  Present  at  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Celebration, 

July  A  to  10.  1909 

Second  Regiment,  National  Guard,  N.  Y. 

1.  Colonel  James  W.   Lester. 

2.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Loyal  L.  Davis. 

3.  Major  James  M.  Andrews. 

4.  Major  Thomas  W.   Hislip. 

5.  Major  Selden   W.    Mott. 

6.  Captain  Thomas  G.   Dickson. 
7 


82  State  of  New  York 


Second  Regiment,  National  Guard,  N.  Y.  —  Continued 

7.  First  Lieutenant  Frank  J.   Yendley. 

8.  First   Lieutenant   Daniel   F.    Yial. 

9.  First  Lieutenant  John  H.   Barker. 
10.  Captain   George  M.   Alden. 

1  1 .  Second  Lieutenant   William   E.   Walker. 

12.  Second   Lieutenant   Frank   D.    Morehouse. 

1 3.  Second   Lieutenant   William   A.    Taylor. 

14.  Captain   George   W.   Sturtevant. 

1 5.  Captain  Asa   B.   Peake. 

1 6.  Captain  John  McGoffin. 

1  7.  Captain  William  Leland  Thompson. 

1 8.  Captain   F.  De  Forrest  Kemp. 

19.  Captain  George  Hughes. 

20.  Captain   Albert  Wells. 

2 1 .  Captain   Clarence  E.   Holden. 

22.  Captain  Ransom  H.   Gillett. 

23.  Captain  Thomas  Carney. 

24.  Captain  Louis  E.  Potter. 

25.  Captain  Daniel  J.  Hogan. 

26.  First  Lieutenant  John  McQuade. 

27.  First  Lieutenant  Andrew   T.    McLean. 

28.  First   Lieutenant   Frank  M.   Hay. 

29.  First  Lieutenant  John  Givney. 

30.  First  Lieutenant  Everett  Pateman. 

3 1 .  First   Lieutenant  Le   Roy  Geesler. 

32.  First   Lieutenant   Clarence  C.   Turn. 

33.  First   Lieutenant  J.  Scott  Button. 

34.  First   Lieutenant   William   P.   Dauchy. 

35.  First  Lieutenant   Roscoe    Hayes. 

36.  First  Lieutenant  George  W.   Robinson. 

37.  First  Lieutenant  Robert  S.   Hall. 

38.  Second  Lieutenant  George  Hartwell. 

39.  Second  Lieutenant  Thomas  J.   Connery. 

40.  Second  Lieutenant  Porter   S.    Oakly. 

41.  Second  Lieutenant   George  T.   Roddy. 

42.  Second  Lieutenant  Charles   F.    Reynolds. 

43.  Second  Lieutenant  John  Livingston. 


WILLIAM  J.  VAN  PATTEN 

Member  of  Vermont  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  83 


Second  Regiment,  National  Guard,  N.  Y.  —  Continued 

44.  Second  Lieutenant  Mania  H.  Stuny. 

45.  Second  Lieutenant  Albert  Brown. 

46.  Second  Lieutenant  Henry  V.   Putnam. 

47.  Second  Lieutenant  William  H.   Curtis. 

48.  Second  Lieutenant  Clarence  C.   Collins, 
and  eight  hundred  and  seventy-five   (875)   enlisted  men. 

The  above-named  men  took  part  in  the  parade  at  Plaltsburgh  Barracks,  N.  Y., 
July  7,  1909. 

The  band.  Second  Regiment  National  Guard,  New  York,  also  took  part  in 
the  parade  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  N.  Y.,  on  July  7,   1909. 

Tenth  Infantry,  National  Guard,  N.  Y. 

Colonel  John  L  Pruyn. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles  E.  Davis. 
Major  Charles  B.  Staats. 
Major  John  F.  Klein. 
Major  Albert  Saulpaugh,  Jr. 
Captain  Frank  S.  Harris. 
Captain  William  B.  Coates. 
Captain  Edward  V.  Howard. 
Captain  Charles  E.  Walsh. 
Captain  Arthur  W.  Nugent. 
Captain  John  F.  Fairchild. 
Captain  Edward  Oliver. 
Captain  Allan  L.  Reagan. 
Captain  Ralph  M.  Glover. 
Captain  George  F.  Chanler. 
Captain   Thomas  J.  Dooley. 
Captain  William  L.  Burnett. 
Captain   Percy  W.  Decker. 
First  Lieutenant  Christopher  Gresham. 
First  Lieutenant  Charles  H.  Canfield. 
First  Lieutenant  Wilbur  B.  Hammond. 
First  Lieutenant   William  F.  Wheelock. 
First  Lieutenant  Albert  E.  Denison. 
First  Lieutenant  Willard  H.  Donner. 
First  Lieutenant  Albert  C.  Bogert. 


84  State  of  New  York 

Tenth  Infantry,  National  Guard,  N.  Y.  —  Coniinued 

First  Lieutenant  Gilbert  V.  Schenck. 
First  Lieutenant   Hiram  D.  Rogers,  Jr. 
First  Lieutenant  Asahel  G.  Harvey. 
First  Lieutenant  Frank  J.  Meagher. 
First  Lieutenant  Edward  R.  Thorne. 
Second  Lieutenant  Charles  A.  Baker. 
Second   Lieutenant   Richard  C.  McCoy. 
Second   Lieutenant   Daniel  J.  Cassidy. 
Second  Lieutenant  Michael  J.  Reagan. 
Second   Lieutenant  Albert  S.  Callan. 
Second  Lieutenant  William  McVicar. 
Second  Lieutenant  Henry  C.  Perley. 
Second   Lieutenant  Jacob  S.  Kingsbury. 
Second  Lieutenant  William  Buchheim. 
Second  Lieutenant  Herbert  C.  Alden. 
Second  Lieutenant  Frederick  W.  Cobb. 
Second  Lieutenant  Robert  G.  Robinson. 
Chaplain  Albert  F.  Tenney. 

Non-commissioned  staff,  band,  detachment  of  hospital  corps,  and  1  2  companies, 
with  an  enlisted  strength  of  719  men. 

The  band  of  the  10th  Infantry,  N.  G.,  N.  Y.,  also  participated  in  the  exercises 
at  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y..  and  Burlington,  Vt. 

Names  of  Commanding  Officers  of  the  Covernor-Cenerars  Foot  Guards 
and  the  Fifth  Ro])al  Canadian  Highlanders,  and  Number  of 
Enlisted  Men  Teho  toolf  part  in  the  Tercentenary  Celebration, 
July  4  io  10.  1909 

Governor-General's  Foot  Guards 

Lieutenant-Colonel    D.    R.    Street,    commanding.      Twenty-two    (22) 
officers  and  three  hundred  and  eleven   (311)   enlisted  men. 

Fifth  Royal  Canadian  Highlanders 

Colonel  George  S.  Cantlie,  commanding.      Twenty-eight   (28)   officers 
and   four  hundred   and  thirty-eight    (438)    men. 


F.  O.  BEAUPRE 

Member  of  Vermont  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  85 

The  Governor-General's  Foot  Guards  and  band  took  part  in  both  parades  at 
Plattsburgh  Barracks.  N.  Y.,  and  Burlington,  Vt..  July  7  and  8,   1909. 

The  Fifth  Royal  Canadian  Highlanders  and  band  took  part  in  the  parade  at 
Plattsburgh  Barracks.  July  7.  1909. 

THE  NAVAL  EXHIBIT 

Of  well  nigh  as  great  interest  in  a  popular  sense  was  the  United  States 
naval  exhibit.  Although  necessarily  small  and  restricted  to  boats  which 
could  enter  the  lake  by  canal  from  the  south,  it  had  this  peculiar  feature, 
that  it  was  the  first  naval  exhibition  on  the  waters  of  Champlain  since  the 
battles  of  the  War  of  1812.  After  considerable  negotiating,  the  Federal 
Government  specified  for  the  occasion  the  torpedo  boat  Manle^  and  two 
steam  cutters,  which,  in  honor  of  the  occasion,  were  named,  respectively, 
the  Plattsburgh  and  the  Burlington,  each  mounting  a  one-pounder 
gun  and  carrying  180  rounds  of  ammunition.  This  flotilla  left  the 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  June  19th  in  command  of  Lieut.  G.  W.  Steele, 
with  Midshipman  Gerard  Bradford  second  in  command,  reaching  the 
lake  by  way  of  the  Hudson  and  the  Champlain  canal. 

It  had  been  hoped  to  secure  the  revenue  cutter  Sandoval,  but  it  was 
found  that  she  could  not  pass  through  the  canal  on  account  of  her  length 
and  draught. 

A  project  which  it  was  hoped  could  be  carried  out  in  connection  with 
the  celebration  was  the  raising  of  the  Ro^al  Savage,  Benedict  Arnold's 
flagship  which  went  aground  and  was  abandoned  in  the  engagement 
fought  on  Lake  Champlain,  off  the  southwest  point  of  Valcour  Island, 
October  11,1  776.  For  one  and  a  third  centuries  the  hull  of  this  vessel 
has  lain  in  shallow  water  and  has  many  times  been  examined  by  lake 
men  of  the  vicinity.  She  was  a  little  craft  according  to  modern  standards, 
only  45  feet  long  and  1 5  feet  beam.  Application  was  made  to  the  Navy 
Department  for  permission  to  raise  her  for  exhibition  in  connection  with 
the  Champlain  celebration.  Permission  was  readily  gained.  Messrs. 
Witherbee,  Riley  and  Booth  were  charged  with  the  arrangements  for 
raising  the  Ro^al  Savage,  and  also  for  the  suitable  use  of  the  remains  of 
the  vessel  Congress,  preserved  at  Chimney  Point,  Vt.    On  further  exami- 


86  State  of  New  York 

nation  of  the  Ro^al  Savage,  however,  divers  found  that  the  hull  was 
deeply  imbedded  in  the  sand  and  although  apparently  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation  the  work  presented  such  difficulties  that  the  project  was 
abandoned. 

One  feature  of  the  celebration  early  determined  upon  was  a  series  of 
historical  entertainments  to  be  given  by  a  band  of  Indians.  Such  a  com- 
pany, of  wide  fame,  which  had  shared  in  the  pageants  and  entertainments 
at  the  Quebec  Tercentenary  was  secured,  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
L.  O.  Armstrong.  It  was  arranged  that  they  should  present  three  separate 
spectacles,  enacted  with  the  necessary  scenic  and  natural  settings  of  lake 
and  shore.  The  subjects  determined  upon  were :  Champlain  discovering 
the  lake  which  bears  his  name ;  Champlain's  battle  with  the  Iroquois ;  and, 
third,  tlie  great  historic  drama  of  "  Hiawatha."  These  historic  plays 
were  to  be  given  at  Crown  Point,  Ticonderoga,  Plattsburgh,  Burlington, 
and  Isle  La  Motte,  two  performances  at  each  place  on  live  successive  days 
of  the  celebration  week.  The  following  narrative  of  this  most  spectacular 
feature  of  the  celebration  is  submitted: 

THE  INDIAN  PAGEANTS  AT  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 

During  the  memorable  week  of  the  commemoration  of  the  tercentenary  there 
floated  on  the  placid  waters  of  the  beautiful  lake,  an  island,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
were  1  68  Iroquois,  the  descendants  of  those  who  fought  against  Champlain  in  July, 
1  609.  So  realistic  was  the  island  in  its  construction  that  when  anchored  near  the 
land  at  100  feet  distance,  it  was  only  after  keen  examination  that  one  detected  the 
artificial.  The  island  represented  the  ancient  settlement  and  sacred  island  of 
Tiotiake,  now  Montreal  Island.     The  Iroquois  call  it  Tiotiake  to  this  day. 

The  idea  of  presenting  the  pageant  in  the  form  of  a  floating  exhibition,  to  the 
different  cities  of  Lake  Champlain  was  at  first  thought  very  difficult  or  impossible 
but  it  was  carried  out  very  effectually,  as  one  writer  put  it,  "  by  the  combined 
imagination  and  unceasing  practical  energy  of  Mr.  L.  O.  Armstrong,"  with  the 
ever  present  help  and  support  of  the  Commissions  of  the  States  of  Vermont  and 
New  York. 

The  setting  of  the  play  and  the  construction  of  the  float  is  well  worth  a  brief 
description.  Six  hulls,  afterwards  to  be  used  as  house  boats,  were  lashed  together 
as  three  separate  catamarans;  the  beams  joining  the  catamarans  were    10  inches 


ARTHUR   F.  STONE 

Member  of  Vermont  Commission 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  87 


square.  These  were  hinged  together  with  cables  making  three  catamarans  in  length. 
The  whole  was  decked  over  forming  a  stage  300  feet  by  70  odd  feet.  A  sloping 
hinged  addition  along  one  side  formed  a  realistic  sandy  beach  upon  which  bark 
was  laid  flat  to  prevent  the  foot  sinking  in  the  sand  — ■  at  least  that  was  the  idea 
that  was  very  well  conveyed.  This  beach  could  be  raised  at  will  when  the  floating 
island  was  traveling  so  that  the  sea  would  not  break  it  off.  In  the  centre  of  the 
stage  was  a  stockade  of  I  5-foot  poles  lashed  in  the  Indian  style.  At  each  end 
amongst  fine  cedar  and  birch  trees  which  by  some  remarkable  means  were  kept 
growing  green  and  fresh  to  the  end  of  the  journey  around  the  lake,  were  Iroquois 
long  houses  five  or  six  in  number  and  a  larger  number  of  birch  wigwams.  With 
the  island  went  the  Don  de  Dieu,  Champlain's  flagship,  some  American  gunboats 
and  the  firework  boats,  all  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Armstrong. 

The  play  opened  with  a  trade  meeting,  an  annual  affair  between  the  Hochelagas 
and  Algonquins,  Hurons  and  their  allies.  A  fire  was  solemnly  lighted  and  the 
peace-pipe  smoked.  The  Indians  were  in  splendid  costumes;  those  who  were  not 
naked  to  the  waist  (with  breech  cloths)  wore  skin  suits.  It  was  the  richest  array 
of  eagle  feathers  that  the  writer  had  ever  seen.  At  this  meeting  the  great  peace 
chief  of  the  Hochelagas  speaks  eloquently  of  the  good  feeling  existing  among  the 
Indians  and  which  had  existed  for  so  long.  A  race  is  run  by  the  champion  Black 
Wolverine  of  the  Algonquins  and  Hiawatha,  the  champion  of  the  Hochelagas. 
A  captive  stag  is  let  loose,  and  he  is  to  be  run  down.  The  racer  who  brings  in  the 
antlers  is  the  winner.  During  the  absence  of  the  runners  on  this  all-day  race,  a  well 
contested  and  most  warmly  applauded  canoe  race  between  the  tribes  takes  place 
around  the  island.  The  war  canoes  with  seventeen  fully  painted  and  bedecked 
Indians  was  a  sight  to  be  remembered.  The  winner  of  the  race  for  the  deer, 
Hiawatha,  staggers  in  at  length  carrying  the  skin  and  antlers  of  the  deer  on  his 
shoulders.  He  is  joyously  received  by  his  tribe  but  the  Black  Wolverine  takes  his 
defeat  in  a  very  bitter  way.  There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  slumbering  envy  and 
malice  for  some  time  on  the  part  of  Algonquins  and  Hurons  against  the  Iroquois 
who  are  wealthy  as  compared  to  their  poorer  northern  neighbors.  The  red  feather 
is  taken  from  his  own  head  dress  by  Awitharoa  and  placed  upon  the  head  of 
Hiawatha  who  was  made  a  chief  as  the  swiftest  of  warriors  and  is  now  to  be 
privileged  to  light  the  sacred  fire,  to  call  a  council  if  necessary  and  to  sit  therein 
with  the  other  chiefs  of  the  tribe.  Hiawatha  has  won  for  himself  the  undying 
enmity  of  the  Black  Wolverine. 

An  ancient  tribal  custom  and  a  pretty  one  is  the  next  scene.  It  is  the  corn  dance 
or  harvest  festival.  Three  young  maidens  are  chosen  and  dressed  to  represent  the 
spirits  of  corn,  maize  and  bean.  Illustrative  songs  and  dances,  with  the  grinding 
of  corn  by  pounding  it  in  receptacles  of  wood  or  stone,  form  part  of  the  ceremonies. 


88  State  of  New  York 


An  effective  scene  is  one  in  which  a  moose  skin  covers  two  men,  the  man  in 
advance  furnishing  the  fore-legs  and  the  man  in  the  rear  the  hind-legs.  Hiawatha 
detects  the  deception  and  a  hunt  is  made  for  the  spies.  War  finally  breaks  out 
and  the  most  realistic  siege  of  the  stockade  takes  place;  it  is  full  of  life  and  splendid 
action.  1  he  Iroquois  are  driven  from  Montreal  Island  to  Lake  Champlain. 
Finally  here  Hiawatha  learns  that  peace  is  better  than  incessant  war  and  after 
many  years  succeeds  in  establishing  the  Confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations. 

This  story  is  told  in  the  "  Master  of  Life,"  a  well  written  book,  the  author  of 
which  is  Mr.  W.  D.  Lighthall  of  Montreal.  Mr.  L.  O.  Armstrong  added  to  the 
story  of  the  book  the  Battle  of  Lake  Champlain  and  the  arrival  of  Corlaer  from 
the  Hudson.  It  was  remarkable  that  Mr.  Armstrong  should  have  succeeded  in 
furnishing  a  descendant  of  the  early  French  settlers  to  take  the  part  of  Champlain, 
and  it  was  a  fortunate  coincidence  that  he  should  secure  a  young  Hollander  who 
has  been  accepted  by  and  is  living  with  the  tribe  in  Caughnawaga  to  play  the 
part  of  Corlaer. 

The  "  Spectator  "  in  the  Outlook  wrote  as  follows  of  the  play: 

Perhaps  the  Spectator  may  be  prejudiced,  for  he  spent  three  days  v^ith  the 
Indians,  but  for  him  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  was  the  Indian  repre- 
sentation of  the  story  of  Hiawatha,  the  reputed  organizer  of  the  Five  Nations.  In 
their  pageant,  given  daily  on  a  floating  stage  three  hundred  feet  long,  which  was 
towed  from  place  to  place,  they  gave  a  dramatic  portrayal  of  the  subject  of  Senator 
Root's  historical  address.  Amid  the  surroundings  of  a  fortified  Indian  village 
which  included  an  elm-bark  long  house  and  elm-bark  tepees,  set  down  in  a  grove  of 
evergreen,  150  Mohawks  acted  the  story  of  the  formation  of  the  great 
Indian  confederacy  whose  friendliness  for  the  English,  Senator  Root  pointed 
out  in  his  historical  address,  was  largely  responsible  for  the  fact  that  English  rather 
than  French  is  spoken  south  of  the  Canadian  line.  The  tale  depicted  on  Lake 
Champlain  by  the  red  men  from  Caughnawaga  was  not  Longfellow's.  It  was 
explained  to  the  Spectator  that  several  tribes  have  myths  about  a  personality  bearing 
the  name  of  Hiawatha  who  was  of  high  character  and  ability,  and  tried  to  lead  his 
people  toward  the  higher  plane  of  civilization  called  Peace.  According  to  the 
story  of  the  play,  which  is  woven  around  historical  facts,  Hiawatha,  in  his  youth, 
desired  to  perform  deeds  which  would  add  to  the  glory  of  his  people.  The  life 
of  a  warrior  seemed  to  be  the  way  of  accomplishing  his  purpose.  The  Great  Spirit, 
however,  in  a  revelation  told  him  that  the  true  road  to  prosperity  and  content  was 
the  way  of  peace.  Thereafter  he  sought  to  maintain  peace.  His  people,  attacked 
by  the  Hurons,  were  driven  from  the  island  which  is  now  the  seat  of  the  city  of 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  89 


Montreal,  into  the  Champlain  country,  and  later  into  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 
where  the  tribe  received  the  name  of  Mohawk.  Hiawatha  set  out  to  form  a  com- 
bination of  the  strongest  tribes  in  the  East,  with  the  intention  of  creating  a  political 
confederacy  vyhich  should  be  so  strong  that  no  alien  tribe  would  venture  to  attack 
any  of  them.  This  is  the  prototype  of  the  modern  method  of  bringing  about  peace 
in  business.  History  shows,  and  Senator  Root  indicated,  that  this  confederation 
possessed  a  higher  form  of  civilization  than  the  scattered  tribes  around  it.  Its 
political  forms  were  advanced.  Its  members  depended  upon  agriculture  for  their 
food  supply,  rather  than  upon  the  less  certain  sources  of  fishing  and  hunting.  They 
lived  in  fixed  abodes  —  the  long  houses  of  elm  bark.  When  Champlain  and  his 
white  companions  in  July,  1  609,  armed  with  guns,  accompanied  the  Hurons  and 
Algonquins  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain  and  launched  bolts  from  their 
"  firesticks  "  upon  the  Iroquois  near  Ticonderoga,  to  the  discomfiture  of  the  historic 
opponents  of  the  Hurons,  they  unwittingly  paved  the  way  for  the  alliance  of  the 
Iroquois  with  the  English,  an  alliance  which  ultimately  led  to  the  defeat  of  the 
French.  This  illustration  of  the  great  matters  which  are  kindled  by  little  fires  was 
portrayed  by  the  Indians  with  a  zest  that  drew  great  audiences  and  held  them 
spell-bound.  The  thread  of  the  story  was  strung  with  bright-colored  beads  which 
illustrated  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Indians.  There  were  enacted  the  smok- 
ing of  the  peace  pipe,  stag  and  canoe  races,  a  hunting  contest,  a  corn  festival 
(which  is  still  celebrated  at  the  harvest  season  by  hundreds  of  pagan  Indians  in 
Canada),  death  chants,  war  dances,  battles,  sacrifices,  and  the  ceremony  of 
adoption. 

If  the  pageant  symbolizing  the  significance  of  Lake  Champlain's  part  in  the 
history  of  America  interested  the  Spectator,  he  must  confess  that  the  descendants 
of  the  Iroquois  who  presented  it,  interested  him  even  more.  Their  ability  and 
character  were  such  as  to  help  one  to  understand  the  civilization  of  their  famous 
sires.  Those  who  spoke  English  possessed  a  vocabulary  and  enunciated  their 
words  with  a  clarity  which  astonished  the  Spectator.  Industrious,  kindly,  courteous, 
not  a  single  angry  or  profane  word  did  the  Spectator  hear  uttered  by  an  Indian 
during  the  three  days  that  he  spent  in  their  company.  Among  those  who  took 
part  in  the  pageant  were  a  school  teacher;  grizzled  veterans  of  the  American  Civil, 
the  Boer,  and  other  wars,  who  had  won  medals  in  the  service;  expert  bridge- 
builders;  and,  among  the  women,  a  young,  full-blooded  Indian  woman  who  is 
employed  as  a  stenographer  and  typewriter  in  the  main  office  of  one  of  Canada's 
great  railways.  There  were  said  to  be  descendants  of  Joseph  Brant  and  Eunice 
Williams  also  among  the  performers.  The  evident  enjoyment  of  the  Indians  in 
the  presentation  of  their  ceremonials  gave  these  added  interest.  It  was  a  proud 
moment  when,  in  a  sham  battle,  they  swarmed  up  the  slope  of  Ticonderoga,  climbed 


90  State  of  New  York 

over  the  parapet,  scattering  more  than  a  hundred  spectators,  pulled  down  the  flag, 
and,  standing  on  the  crest  of  the  restored  bastion,  with  a  mighty  shout  waved  their 
spears  and  bows  in  the  face  of  the  belated  troops  of  the  National  Guard.  The 
repetition  of  Ethan  Allen's  successful  sally  compensated  them  for  their  defeat  by 
the  guardsmen  the  previous  day  in  the  sham  battle  at  Crown  Point. 

The  libretto  of  the  play  of  *'  Hiawatha  "  the  Mohawk,  "  depicting  the 
siege  of  Hochelaga  and  the  battle  of  Champlain,"  will  be  found  in  the 
appendix  to  this  volume. 


II.  CHAMPLAIN  SUNDAY 

91 


II.  CHAMPLAIN  SUNDAY 
Sermons  by  Cardinal  Gibbons  and  Others 

THE  EXERCISES  of  celebration  week  opened  on  Sunday,  July  4th, 
with  impressive  services  in  Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  churches 
throughout  the  region.  At  Plattsburgh,  Burlington,  and  other 
towns,  a  beautiful  "  order  of  worship  for  religious  exercises  in  connection 
with  the  observance  of  the  tercentenary  of  the  discovery  "  was  employed 
in  Protestant  Episcopal  and  churches  of  other  denominations.  In  Ver- 
mont, Governor  Prouty  had  proclaimed  this  July  4th  as  "  Champlain 
Sunday,"  and  the  special  occasion  was  generally  observed  even  in  com- 
munities remote  from  the  lake.  The  order  of  service  was  largely  musical 
and  responsive,  being  varied  at  the  discretion  of  the  different  congregations 
and  adapted  to  circumstances;  but,  as  observed  generally  throughout  the 
region,  it  was  that  prepared  by  Rev.  John  M.  Thomas,  D.  D.,  President 
of  Middlebury  College  and  one  of  the  Vermont  Tercentenary  Commis- 
sioners, and  was  as  follows: 

ORDER  OF  SERVICE 
Organ  Voluntary. 

The  Doxology. 

Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow; 
Praise  Him,  all  creatures  here  below; 
Praise  Him  above,  ye  heavenly  host: 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.      Amen. 

Sentence.     (By  the  minister) 

Our  help  is  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord,  who  made  heaven  and  earth.  The 
Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  Him,  to  all  that  call  upon  Him 
in  truth.  He  will  fulfill  the  desire  of  them  that  fear  Him:  He  also  will 
hear  their  cry,  and  will  save  them. 

93 


94  State  of  New  York 


ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Continued 

The  Invocation. 

Eternal  God,  our  Maker  and  our  Lord,  Giver  of  all  grace,  from  whom 
every  good  prayer  cometh,  and  who  pourest  Thy  Spirit  upon  all  who  seek 
Thee;  deliver  us,  when  we  draw  nigh  to  Thee,  from  coldness  of  heart 
and  wanderings  of  mind;  that  with  steadfast  thoughts  and  pure  affections 
we  may  worship  Thee  in  spirit  and  truth,  and  that  by  the  remembrance 
of  the  days  of  old,  and  of  the  brave  men  who  have  nobly  served  Thee, 
their  country,  and  their  fellow  men,  our  hearts  may  be  stirred  to  grateful 
trust  in  Thy  providence;  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

Hymn.      "  O  God  of  Bethel,  by  Whose  Hand."      (Tune,  Azmon.) 

O  God  of  Bethel,  by  whose  hand 

Thy  people  still  are  fed; 
Who  through  this  weary  pilgrimage 

Hast  all  our  fathers  led! 

Our  vows,  our  prayers,  we  now  present 

Before  thy  throne  of  grace; 
God  of  our  fathers!  be  the  God 

Of  their  succeeding  race. 

Through  each  perplexing  path  of  life 

Our  wandering  footsteps  guide; 
Give  us,  each  day,  our  daily  bread. 

And  raiment  fit  provide. 

Oh,  spread  thy  covering  wings  around 

Till  all  our  wanderings  cease. 
And  at  our  Father's  loved  abode. 

Our  souls  arrive  in  peace. 

Such  blessings   from  thy   gracious  hand 

Our  humble  prayers  implore! 
And  thou  shalt  be  our  chosen  God, 

Our  portion  evermore.     Amen. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  95 


ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Continued 
Responsive  Reading.     (Psalm  CVII:  1-16,  23-43.) 

O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good;  for  his  mercy  endureth 
forever. 

Let  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  sa^  so,  rvhom  be  hath  redeemed  from 
the  hand  of  the  enemy; 

And  gathered  them  out  of  the  lands,  from  the  east,  and  from  the  west; 
from  the  north,  and  from  the  south. 

Thev  rvandered  in  the  Tvilderness  in  a  solitar})  Way:  they  found  no  city 
to  dwell  in. 

Hungry  and  thirsty:  their  soul  fainted  in  them. 

Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble:  and  he  delivered  them 
out  of  their  distresses. 

And  he  led  them  forth  by  the  right  way:  that  they  might  go  to  a  city  of 
habitation. 

O  that  men  roould  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness:  and  for  his  wonder- 
ful worI(s  to  the  children  of  men! 

For  he  satisfieth  the  longing  soul:  and  fllleth  the  hungry  soul  with 
goodness. 

Such  as  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death:  being  bound  in 
affliction  and  iron; 

Because  they  rebelled  against  the  words  of  God:  and  contemned  the 
counsel  of  the  Most  High. 

Therefore  he  brought  down  their  heart  with  labour:  they  fell  down,  and 
there  was  none  to  help. 

Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble:  and  he  saved  them  out 
of  their  distresses. 

He  brought  them  out  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death:  and  brake 
their  bands  in  sunder. 

O  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness:  and  for  his  wonder- 
ful works  to  the  children  of  men! 

For  he  hath  broken  the  gates  of  brass:  and  cut  the  bars  of  iron  in  sunder. 

They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships:  that  do  business  in  great  waters; 

These  see  the  Works  of  the  Lord:  and  his  wonders  in  the  deep. 

For  he  commandeth,  and  raiseth  the  stormy  wind:  which  lifteth  up  the 
waves  thereof. 

They  mount  up  to  the  heaven,  they  go  down  again  to  the  depths:  their 
soul  is  melted  because  of  trouble. 


96  State  of  New  York 


ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Conimued 

They  reel  to  and  fro,  and  stagger  like  a  drunken  man:  and  are  at  their 
wit's  end. 

Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble:  and  he  bringeth  them  out 
of  their  distresses. 

He  maketh  the  storm  a  calm:  so  that  the  waves  thereof  are  still. 

Then  are  they  glad  because  they  be  quiet:  so  he  bringeth  them  unto  their 
desired  haven. 

O  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness:  and  for  his  wonder- 
ful works  to  the  children  of  men! 

Let  them  exalt  him  also  in  the  congregation  of  the  people:  and  praise 
him  in  the  assembly  of  the  elders. 

He  turneth  rivers  into  a  wilderness:  and  the  watersprings  into  dry  ground; 

A  fruitful  land  into  barrenness:  for  the  wickedness  of  them  that  dxvell 
therein. 

He  turneth  the  wilderness  into  a  standing  water:  and  dry  ground  into 
watersprings. 

And  there  he  maketh  the  hungry  to  divell:  that  they  may  prepare  a  city 
for  habitation. 

And  sow  the  fields,  and  plant  vineyards:  which  may  yield  fruits  of 
increase. 

He  blesseth  them  also,  so  that  they  are  multiplied  greatly:  and  suffereth 
not  their  cattle  to  decrease. 

Again,  they  are  diminished  and  brought  low;  through  oppression, 
affliction,  and  sorrow. 

He  pourelh  contempt  upon  princes:  and  causeth  them  to  Vpander  in  the 
tvilderness,  where  there  is  no  Tfay. 

Yet  setteth  he  the  poor  on  high  from  affliction:  and  maketh  him  famihes 
like  a  flock. 

The  righteous  shall  see  it,  and  rejoice:  and  all  iniquity  shall  stop  her 
mouth. 

Whoso  is  wise,  and  will  observe  these  things:  even  they  shall  understand 
the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord. 

Gloria  Patri. 

Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son:  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost; 
As  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be:  world  without 
end.      Amen. 


Copyright  and  by  courtesy  cf  Moffett  Ktiidio,  Chicago.  111. 

HON.  SETH   LOW 


o/ 


By  courtesy  of  Gibson,  Chicago 

JUDGE  ALBERT  C.   BARNES 


WASHINGTON, O.C. 


Copyripht  and  by  courtesy  of  Harris  &  Ewing,  Washington,  D.  C. 

DR.  HAMILTON   W.   MABIE 


JUDGE  WENDELL  P.   STAFFORD 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  97 

ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Continued 

Scripture  Lesson.     (Deuteronomy  VIII.) 

Anthem.      (A  Te  Deum,  Gloria  in  Excelsis,  or  other  appropriate  anthem.) 

The  Pastoral  Prayer.      (A  prayer  of  thanksgiving  and  supplication,  which 
may  include  the  following)  : 

A  Thanksgiving  for  Peace. 

Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  makest  wars  to  cease  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth;  we  praise  and  magnify  that  great  mercy,  whereby  Thou  hast 
not  only  freed  our  borders  from  every  enemy,  and  given  us  rest  and 
quietness,  but  out  of  Thine  abundant  goodness  art  shedding  down  the  same 
blessed  tranquillity  upon  the  nations  round  about  us;  and  we  humbly  beseech 
Thee,  that,  being  subdued  by  Thy  truth,  they  may  evermore  dwell  together 
in  love  as  one  family  of  mankind;  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.      Amen. 

A  Prayer  for  Our  Country. 

O  most  powerful  Lord  God,  blessed  and  only  Potentate,  who  hast 
granted  unto  our  country  liberty,  and  established  our  Nation  in  righteous- 
ness by  the  people's  will:  Guide  and  direct  the  multitudes  whom  Thou 
hast  ordained  in  power,  by  Thy  pure  wisdom  and  Thy  just  laws;  that 
their  counsels  may  be  filled  with  knowledge  and  equity,  and  the  whole  estate 
of  the  Commonwealth  be  preserved  in  peace,  unity,  strength,  and  honour: 
And  lake  under  Thy  governance  and  protection.  Thy  servants,  the  Presi- 
dent, the  Governor  of  this  State,  the  lawgivers,  the  judges,  the  counsellors, 
the  magistrates,  and  all  who  are  entrusted  with  authority ;  so  defending 
them  from  all  evil  and  enriching  them  with  all  needed  good,  that  the 
people  may  prosper  in  freedom  beneath  an  equal  law,  and  our  Nation  may 
magnify  Thy  Name  in  all  the  earth;  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Amen. 

A  Prayer  for  Champlain  Sunday. 

Almighty  God,  who  in  the  former  time  didst  lead  our  fathers  forth  into 
a  wealthy  place;  give  Thy  grace,  we  humbly  beseech  Thee,  to  us  their 
children,  that  we  may  always  approve  ourselves  a  people  mindful  of  Thy 
favor  and  glad  to  do  Thy  will.  Bless  our  land  with  honorable  industry, 
sound  learning,  and  pure  manners.  Defend  our  liberties,  preserve  our 
unity.  Save  us  from  violence,  discord  and  confusion,  from  pride  and 
arrogancy,  and  from  every  evil  way.  Fashion  into  one  happy  people  the 
8 


98  State  of  New  York 


ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Continued 

multitudes  brought  hither  out  of  many  kindreds  and  tongues.  Endue  with 
the  spirit  of  wisdom  those  whom  we  entrust  in  Thy  Name  with  the  author- 
ity of  governance,  to  the  end  that  there  be  peace  at  home,  and  that  we 
keep  a  place  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  In  the  time  of  prosperity, 
fill  our  hearts  with  thankfulness;  and  in  the  day  of  trouble,  suffer  not  our 
trust  in  Thee  to  fail;  all  which  we  ask  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake.  Thy  Son, 
our  Lord.      Amen. 

The  Lord's  Prayer.     (To  be  said  by  Minister  and  People.) 

Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.  Hallowed  be  Thy  Name.  Thy  king- 
dom come.  Thy  Will  be  done  in  earth.  As  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive  us  our  debts.  As  we  forgive  our  debt- 
ors. And  lead  us  not  into  temptation.  But  deliver  us  from  evil:  For  Thine 
is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  forever.      Amen. 

Hymn.      "  O  God,   Beneath  Thy  Guiding  Hand."      (Tune,  Duke  Street.) 

O  God,  beneath  thy  guiding  hand, 

Our  exiled  fathers  crossed  the  sea. 
And  when  they  trod  the  wintry  strand. 

With  prayer   and  psalm   they  worshipped   Thee. 

Thou  heardst,  well  pleased,  the  song,  the  prayer  — 

Thy  blessing  came;  and  still  its  power 
Shall  onward  through  all  ages  bear 

The  memory  of  that  holy  hour. 

WTiat  change!    through  pathless  wilds  no  more 

The  fierce  and  naked  savage  roams: 
Sweet  praise,   along  the  cultured  shore. 

Breaks   from  ten  thousand  happy  homes. 

Laws,   freedom,  truth,  and  faith  in  God 

Came  with  those  exiles  o'er  the  waves. 
And  where  their  pilgrim  feet  have  trod. 

The  God  they  trusted  guards  their  graves. 

And  here  Thy  name,  O  God  of  love. 

Their  children's  children  shall  adore. 
Till  these  eternal  hills  remove 

And  spring  adorns  the  earth  no  more.     Amen. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  99 


ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Continued 

The  Offering.  [At  the  discretion  of  the  minister  and  the  congregation,  the 
offering  may  be  devoted  to  the  fund  for  the  erection  of  a  permanent 
memorial  to  Samuel  Champlain.] 

The  Sermon.  [A  patriotic  discourse  related  to  the  discovery  of  the  territory  of 
Lake  Champlain  by  Samuel  Champlain,  or  other  historical 
events.  ] 

Prayer. 

Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  Almighty  God,  that  the  words,  which  we 
have  heard  this  day  with  our  outward  ears,  may  through  Thy  grace  be  so 
grafted  inwardly  in  our  hearts,  that  they  may  bring  forth  in  us  the  fruit 
of  good  living,  to  the  honour  and  praise  of  Thy  Name;  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord. 

O  God,  from  whom  all  holy  desires,  all  good  counsels,  and  all  just  works 
do  proceed;  Give  unto  Thy  servants  that  peace  which  the  world  cannot 
give;  that  both  our  hearts  may  be  set  to  obey  Thy  commandments,  and 
also  that  by  Thee,  we,  being  defended  from  the  fear  of  our  enemies,  may 
pass  our  time  in  rest  and  quietness;  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  our 
Saviour.      Amen. 


Hymn.     "America.' 


My  country!  'tis  of  thee. 
Sweet  land  of  liberty. 

Of  thee  I  sing; 
Land   where   my   fathers   died! 
Land   of  the   Pilgrim's   pride! 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  freedom  ring! 

My  native  country,  thee  — 
Land  of  the  noble,  free  — 

Thy  name  I  love; 
I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills. 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills; 
My  heart  with  rapture  thrills 

Like  that  above. 


100  State  of  New  York 


ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Continued 

Let  music  swell  the  breeze. 
And  ring   from  all  the  trees 

Sweet   freedom's  song: 
Let  mortal  tongues  awake: 
Let  all  that  breathe  partake; 
Let  rocks  their  silence  break. 

The  sound  prolong. 

Our  fathers'  God!  to  Thee, 
Author  of  liberty. 

To  Thee  we  sing: 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With  freedom's  holy  light; 
Protect  us  by  Thy  might. 

Great  God,  our  King!     Amen. 
Benediction. 

The  Praise  of  Famous  Men. 

Let  us  now  praise  famous  men. 

And  our  fathers  that  begat  us. 

The  Lord  hath  wrought  great  glory  by  them 

Through  His  great  power  from  the  beginning. 

Such  as  did  bear  rule  in  their  kingdoms. 

Men  renowned  for  their  power. 

Giving  counsel  by  their  understanding. 

And  declaring  prophecies: 

Leaders  of  the  people  by  their  counsels. 

And  by  their  knowledge  of  learning  meet  for  the  people. 

Wise  and  eloquent  in  their  instructions: 

Rich  men  furnished  with  ability. 

Living  peaceably  in  their  habitations: 

All  these  were  honored  in  their  generations. 

And  were  the  glory  of  their  times. 

There  be  of  them,  that  have  left  a  name  behind  them. 

That  their  praises  might  be  reported. 

These  were  merciful  men. 

Whose  righteousness  hath  not  been  forgotten. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  101 

ORDER  OF  SERVICE  —  Continued 

With  their  seed  shall  continually  remain  a  good  inheritance. 

And  their  children  are  vyithin  the  covenant. 

Their  seed  standeth  fast. 

And  their  children  are  within  the  covenant, 

Their  seed  standeth  fast. 

And  their  children  for  their  sakes. 

Their  seed  shall  remain  forever. 

And  their  glory  shall  not  be  blotted  out. 

Their  bodies  are  buried  in  peace; 

But  their  name  liveth  for  evermore. 

The  people  will  tell  of  their  wisdom. 

And  the  congregation  will  shew  forth  their  praise. 

—  [From  "  The  Wisdom  of  the  Son  of  Sirach,"  Ch.  XLIV.] 

Nowhere  did  the  observance  of  the  day  present  a  more  impressive 
spectacle  than  at  BurHngton  where  an  assemblage  estimated  above  five 
thousand  gathered  in  the  open  air  at  the  lake  front  and  shared  in  a  vesper 
service  arranged  in  honor  of  Champlain.  Among  the  officiating  clergy 
were  the  Revs.  W.  J.  O'Sullivan,  of  Montpelier,  Vt.,  and  T.  M.  Aubin, 
of  Swanton,  Vt.  A  large  part  of  the  worshippers  had  come  from  Mon- 
treal as  participants  in  a  pilgrimage.  The  climax  of  the  service  was 
reached  when  the  vast  throng  joined  in  a  mighty  chorus  in  the  impassioned 
strains  of  "  Holy  God,  We  Praise  Thy  Name." 

Bishop  Thomas  M.  A.  Burke,  of  Albany,  was  the  officiating  deacon, 
with  Right  Rev.  A.  Racicot,  auxiliary  of  Montreal,  and  Right  Rev. 
Monsignor  John  J.  Walsh,  of  Troy,  assisting. 

Earlier  in  the  day,  high  mass  was  said  at  St.  Joseph's  church  and  a 
pontifical  mass  at  St.  Mary's  Cathedral.  A  feature  of  the  service  at 
St.  Joseph's  was  the  confirmation  of  more  than  one  hundred  children. 

Special  services  were  held  at  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church,  where  the 
sermon  was  delivered  by  Bishop  Arthur  C.  A.  Hall,  of  Vermont. 

Rev.  G.  G.  Atkins,  D.  D.,  preached  at  the  First  Congiegational 
church,  and  Rev.  S.  M.  Crothers,  D.  D.,  of  Harvard,  at  the  Unitarian 
church  in  Burlington,  Vt. 


102  State  of  New  York 

Across  the  lake  at  Cliff  Haven,  another  large  congregation  gathered 
on  the  beautiful  grounds  overlooking  the  water,  flanked  by  cedar  groves. 
The  largest  concourse  of  people  ever  assembled  on  the  grounds  of  the 
Summer  School  was  present,  not  only  of  Roman  Catholics,  but  of  many 
non-Catholics,  desirous  of  witnessing  the  impressive  ceremonies.  At  the 
appointed  hour,  a  procession  moved  along  the  lakeside  path  to  the  grove, 
where  was  erected  a  great  altar  of  white  birch,  with  miniature  gothic 
arches.  On  either  side  of  the  tabernacle  stood  three  large  candelabra; 
above  them  was  a  golden  crucifix,  and  back  of  it,  slightly  elevated,  a 
pedestal  of  white  birch  was  surmounted  by  the  statue  of  Our  Lady  of 
the  Lake.  The  delicate  blue  robe  of  the  statue  contrasted  with  the  back- 
ground of  green  and  white,  the  whole  making  a  picture  of  exceeding 
beauty.  The  procession  was  headed  by  a  cross  bearer,  followed  by 
acolytes,  ladies  in  white,  and  the  choir  of  surpliced  choristers.  Then 
came  the  clergy,  the  officiating  bishop,  the  officer  of  the  mass,  and  last. 
His  Eminence  James  Cardinal  Gibbons.  The  celebrant  was  the  Right 
Rev.  Thomas  F.  Hickey,  Bishop  of  Rochester.  He  was  assisted  by 
many  clergymen  and  church  prelates.  Among  those  in  attendance  were : 
The  Rt.  Rev.  John  J.  Collins,  Bishop  of  Jamaica,  W.  L ;  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Charles  H.  Colton,  Bishop  of  Buffalo ;  the  Rt.  Rev.  Patrick  W.  Ludden, 
Bishop  of  Syracuse;  the  Rev,  P.  S.  McSherry,  Bishop  of  South  Africa; 
and  numerous  bishops  and  clergy  from  Canada.  The  music  was  in 
charge  of  St.  Patrick's  choir  of  Montreal,  of  one  hundred  voices.  After 
the  mass  a  procession  escorted  Cardinal  Gibbons  to  the  New  York  cottage, 
his  temporary  residence.  Later  the  benediction  of  the  Sacrament  took 
place  in  the  open-air  sanctuary. 

The  Rt.  Rev.  Dennis  J.  McMahon,  President  of  the  Catholic  Sum- 
mer School  at  Cliff  Haven,  addressed  the  congregation  in  the  following 
words : 

My  dear  friends,  it  is  certainly  with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  that  to  day  we 
celebrate  the  feast  of  the  festival  of  the  independence  of  our  country.  It  is  very 
fitting  that  this  day  should  also  be  the  day  upon  which  we  should  celebrate  the 
tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  this  lake  upon  which  we  live.     It  is  a  great  pleasure 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  103 


for  us  to  have  so  many  of  our  friends  and  those  of  our  own  religion  coming  from 
distant  points,  from  Boston,  aye,  from  Texas,  even  from  California,  in  order  that 
they  may  join  with  us  in  this  great  feast  of  to-day.  A  year  ago  Canada  celebrated 
the  feast,  not  exactly  the  same  one,  but  it  was  in  honor  of  him  who  discovered  the 
lake  which  bears  his  name,  and  so  Canada  to-day  joins  with  us  by  sending  us 
these  sweet  singers,  this  chorus  that  gladdens  the  hearts  of  all  of  us,  and  I  am  sure 
sends  praises  up  to  the  Almighty.  We  have  to  thank  very  kindly  and  with  a  great 
deal  of  gratitude  the  rector  of  St.  Peter's  church  of  Montreal,  and  the  singers  as 
well,  who  have  come  here  to  do  us  honor  on  this  festival.  We  have  also  to  thank 
the  priests  and  the  bishops  who  have  come  likewise  to  join  with  us  —  the  Bishop 
of  Cape  Town,  from  South  Africa,  the  Bishop  of  Jamaica,  from  the  West  Indies, 
and  our  own  good  Bishop  Colton  of  Buffalo,  and  the  Monseignors  also  have  come 
to  give  us  their  meed  of  honor,  their  meed  of  respect,  by  reason  of  their  presence 
at  the  great  feast  we  are  celebrating  to-day;  and  need  I  say  besides  the  celebrants 
of  the  mass,  we  have  one  of  our  old  time  friends  of  the  Summer  School  who  was 
with  us  from  the  beginning,  and  our  praises  are  well  due  to  him,  the  primate  of 
America,  whose  name  is  in  the  hearts  as  well  as  in  the  thoughts  of  everyone  of  us 
in  this  country  when  we  speak  of  the  Catholic  church,  our  own  dear  Cardinal 
Gibbons,  who  at  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  himself,  at  an  advanced  age,  has  conie 
so  long  a  distance  in  order  that  he  may  join  with  us  on  this  occasion.  Therefore 
we  thank  him,  as  we  thank  this  large  attendance  that  comes  from  all  parts  of  this 
country  here  to  join  in  this  celebration.  Praises  be  to  God  for  the  independence 
of  our  country,  praise  and  honor  as  well  to  that  man  who  discovered  the  lake  upon 
whose  shores  we  pass  such  a  delightful  day.  We  have  to  thank  God  in  the  mass 
this  morning  for  all  the  favors  that  we  in  the  Summer  School  have  received  on  the 
shores  of  this  lake,  so  many  during  these  fifteen  years  or  more,  and  I  want  to  say 
of  all  the  celebrations  I  think  this  one  to-day  is  without  a  peer  in  the  past  history 
of  this  lake.  I  ask  you  all  earnestly  and  fervently  to  send  up  your  prayers  for  the 
benefit  of  this  school  under  whose  auspices  this  celebration  is  held  and  also  for 
the  Right  Reverend  and  Most  Reverend  prelates  who  are  with  us  here  to-day. 

The  sermon  on  this  occasion,  preached  by  His  Eminence  Cardinal 
Gibbons,  was  as  follows: 

The  Sermon  by  Cardinal  Gibbons. 

The  Gospel  appointed  to  be  read  in  the  mass  of  to-day  is  a  statement  from  the 
1 6th  chapter  of  the  Gospel  according  to  Saint  Matthew.  "  At  that  time  Jesus 
came  into  the  quarters  of  Caesarea  Phillippi,  and  he  asked  his  disciples,  saying. 
Who  do  men  say  that  the  son  of  man  is?     They  stated,  some  John  the  Baptist, 


104  State  of  New  York 


others  Elias,  and  others  Jeremiah,  or  one  of  the  prophets.  Jesus  saith  to  them. 
Whom  do  you  say  I  am?  Simon  Peter  answered  and  said,  Thou  art  Christ,  the 
son  of  the  living  God;  and  Jesus  answering  said  to  him.  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon 
Barjona,  because  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but  my  Father  who 
is  in  heaven,  and  I  say  to  thee  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  on  this  rock  I  will  build 
my  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it,  and  I  will  give  unto 
thee  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on 
earth  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth 
shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven." 

Right  reverend  fathers,  dearly  beloved  brethren,  friends  and  patrons  of  the 
Summer  School,  let  us  transport  ourselves  this  morning  to  a  period  of  two  thousand 
years  ago,  and  let  us  stand  in  spirit  not  by  the  shores  of  this  beautiful  lake  but  in 
the  city  of  Rome,  and  let  us  stand  upon  one  of  Rome's  seven  hills,  and  look  down 
upon  that  great  Pagan  city  teeming  with  a  population  estimated  by  the  historian 
Gibbon  at  some  three  million  of  inhabitants.  We  find  that  city  given  up  to  every 
kind  of  idolatry;  they  worshipped  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  stars  of  the  even; 
they  worshipped  the  mountains  and  the  lakes;  every  striking  object  in  nature  had 
its  divinity.  They  worshipped  everything  except  God  alone,  to  whom  all  divine 
homage  is  due;  in  the  language  of  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  they  changed  the 
glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  the  image  and  likeness  of  corruptible  man,  and 
of  birds  and  of  beasts  and  of  creeping  things,  and  they  worshipped  the  creature 
instead  of  the  Creator,  who  is  blessed  forevermore. 

What  I  say  of  Rome  I  might  say  of  the  Roman  Empire,  because  Rome  was 
mistress  of  the  world.  That  empire  extended  into  Asia  as  far  as  the  banks  of  the 
Euphrates;  it  extended  into  Africa  to  Mauretania  and  in  Europe  as  far  as  the 
river  Danube.  The  whole  world  with  the  exception,  I  might  say,  of  Palestine, 
was  buried  in  the  darkness  of  idolatry.  Such  was  the  condition  of  things  and  of 
society  when  Christ  uttered  the  words  recorded  in  this  day's  gospel;  and  he  calls 
around  him  twelve  poor,  illiterate  men,  men  without  learning,  men  without  wealth, 
men  without  the  prestige  of  fame,  men  without  any  family  or  social  or  political 
influence,  men  destitute  of  any  of  these  qualities  which  at  all  times  are  considered 
essential  for  the  success  of  any  great  enterprise.  He  calls  upon  them  to  effect  the 
most  mighty  moral  revolution  that  ever  occurred  in  the  history  of  mankind;  he 
calls  upon  them  to  uproot  idolatry  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  to  establish  in 
its  stead  the  worship  of  the  one  true  and  living  God;  he  calls  upon  them  to  uproot 
those  human  passions  from  the  breasts  of  men,  and  to  plant  in  their  stead  the  love 
of  our  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  The  apostles  had  implicit  confidence  in  their  divine 
Master;  they  had  seen  the  miracles  which  he  wrought;  they  knew  that  he  was 
God;  they  knew  that  his  word  was  power,  that  his  work  was  omnipotence;  they 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  105 


knew  that  he  who  said  of  old,  "  Let  there  be  light  "  and  light  was;  who  said,  "  Let 
the  earth  bring  forth  its  fruit,"  and  it  came  forth,  —  they  knew  that  he  would  now 
through  their  instrumentality  cause  the  light  to  shine  in  the  darkened  intellects  of 
men,  and  the  fruits  of  sanctification  to  grow  abundant  in  their  hearts;  and  there- 
fore they  go  forth  into  the  world,  nothing  hesitating,  determined  to  put  every 
portion  of  the  Roman  Empire  under  the  sweet  sway  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ; 
and  they  dismembered  all  the  Roman  Empire  by  themselves.  Peter,  whose  name 
is  mentioned  to-day  in  the  gospel  is  the  first  to  speak  or  to  proclaim  the  gospel 
of  Christ  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  he  by  one  sermon  converts  three  thou- 
sand souls,  and  no  doubt  many  of  those  that  were  converted  were  witnesses  of  his 
crucifixion,  and  perhaps  even  had  a  share  in  his  death.  He  afterwards  proceeds 
to  Antioch,  where  he  establishes  himself,  and  finally  is  martyred  in  Rome.  Paul, 
the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  traversed  through  various  portions  of  Asia  and 
Europe,  carrying  to  them  the  torch  of  faith.  Saint  James  evangelized  Galilee 
and  Judea,  Saint  John  preaches  the  gospel  in  Ephesus  and  the  surrounding  country; 
and  the  gospel  was  carried  to  remote  India.  You  might  say  of  them  in  the  language 
of  the  inspired  prophet  their  word  had  gone  forth  to  the  whole  world  and  their 
voice  to  the  very  bounds  thereof. 

But  if  we  are  surprised,  my  brethren,  with  what  I  might  call  the  pure  audacity 
of  a  few  ignorant,  uninfluential  men  undertaking  the  herculean  task  of  converting  the 
nations,  we  are  still  more  surprised  at  the  success  which  attends  their  labors.  In  a 
very  few  years  after  Christ's  death  we  find  the  Christian  religion  spread  throughout 
the  Roman  Empire.  Saint  Paul,  about  thirty  years  after  the  crucifixion  of  our 
Savior,  wrote  these  words  to  the  Romans:  "  We  give  thanks,"  he  says,  "  through 
Jesus  Christ  that  your  faith  is  spoken  of  throughout  the  world,"  and  of  course 
spoken  of  by  men  that  were  in  sympathy  and  in  communion  with  the  faith  of  Rome. 
Justin  Martyr,  whose  death  occurred  about  sixty-six  years  after  the  death  of  Saint 
John  the  Evangelist,  uses  these  words:  "There  is  no  race,"  he  says,  "or  tribe 
or  people,  whether  Greeks  or  barbarians,  among  whom  prayer  and  sacrifice  are 
not  offered  up  to  God  through  Christ  and  him  crucified."  And  Tertullian,  who 
was  born  about  1 60  of  the  Christian  era,  does  not  hesitate  to  write  these  words 
to  the  Roman  emperor:  "  We  are  of  yesterday  and  we  have  filled  your  empire, 
your  cities,  your  tovwis,  your  hamlets,  your  forum,  your  Senate,  your  armies,  as 
Christians;  we  have  left  nothing  to  you  except  your  empty  temples."  And  Saint 
Irenaeus  employs  the  same  idea  in  different  language,  and  he  is  careful  to  remind 
us  of  the  unity  of  the  faith  that  then  prevailed,  for  he  says:  "  As  the  light  which 
comes  from  the  sun  is  always  the  same  because  it  comes  from  the  same  luminary 
of  the  day,  so  is  the  light  of  faith  everywhere  the  same  because  it  proceeds  from 
Jesus  Christ,  the  sun  of  justice." 


106  State  of  New  York 


\X''hat  a  contrast,  brethren,  presents  itself  to  our  minds  between  the  bloody 
victories  achieved  by  the  great  generals  of  antiquity  on  the  one  hand  and  the 
peaceful  victories  acquired  by  the  apostles  and  their  immediate  successors,  whether 
we  consider  the  weapons  with  which  they  fought  their  battles  which  they  won  or 
the  duration  of  their  victories.  Alexander  the  Great  conquered  kingdom  after 
kingdom,  but  scarcely  was  he  cold  in  his  grave  when  his  empire  was  dismembered 
and  divided  among  his  lieutenants.  He  conquered  by  the  sword,  and  by  the 
sword  he  kept  his  subjects  in  bondage,  and  yet,  as  I  say,  in  a  few  years  all  that 
great  empire  passed  away.  The  apostles  conquered  kingdoms  to  their  divine 
master,  not  by  force  but  by  persuasion;  not  by  the  material  sword,  but  by  the 
sword  of  the  spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God;  not  by  shedding  the  blood  of  other 
men  but  by  the  shedding  of  their  own  blood;  not  by  enslaving  bodies  of  men,  but 
by  rescuing  their  souls  from  spiritual  bondage;  and  that  great  republic  of  the  church 
which  they  established  exists  unto  this  day,  and  has  extended  her  lines  far  and 
wide,  and  is  kept  together  not  by  frowning  fortifications,  not  by  standing  armies, 
but  by  the  irresistible  influence  of  moral  and  religious  sanction. 

What  does  this  prove,  my  brethren?  It  proves  that  peace  hath  her  victories 
as  well  as  war  —  yea,  victories  more  substantial  and  more  enduring.  It  proves 
that  all  schemes  that  are  conceived  in  passion  and  carried  out  by  lawless  ambition 
are  destined,  like  the  mountain  torrent,  to  carry  ruin  before  them  and  leave  deso- 
lation after  them,  whilst  the  peaceful  mission  of  men  assembled  together  as  we  are 
under  the  inspiration  of  heaven  is  destined,  like  the  gentle  dew  of  heaven,  to  bring 
down  blessings  from  God  and  bear  abundant  fruit  in  due  season. 

Now,  my  dear  friends,  no  dispassionate  man  when  he  studies  the  history  of 
the  early  church  can  fail  to  discern  the  divine  stamp  of  God  upon  its  brow.  When 
we  consider  the  weakness  of  the  apostles  and  the  great  victories  which  they  gained, 
when  we  consider  the  opposition  which  they  met  at  every  step,  the  difficulties  they 
encountered,  the  hostility  which  they  met  from  the  government  itself,  and  from  the 
people,  from  the  populace,  and  from  the  learned,  from  every  class  of  society  — 
above  all,  when  we  call  to  mind  that  they  preached  a  religion  of  morality  to  people 
whose  religion  had  not  only  tolerated  but  sanctioned  the  most  degrading  morals, 
we  are  bound  to  confess  that  the  finger  of  God  is  here,  and  that  the  religion  of 
Christ  is  the  religion  of  God  himself.  My  brothers,  the  wisdom  of  God  is  mani- 
fested in  the  very  disproportion  we  find  between  the  means  and  the  end.  Suppose, 
for  instance,  that  Christ  had  come  in  all  the  power  of  imperial  majesty  surrounded 
by  legions  of  soldiers,  with  all  the  power  of  Caesar  on  his  part;  suppose  he  came 
to  establish  the  Christian  religion  with  this  force,  what  would  the  world  say?  The 
world  would  say,  "  There  is  no  miracle  here,  for  the  faith  of  Christ  was  established 
not  by  the  finger  of  God,  but  by  the  arm  of  the  flesh."     Or,  suppose  again,  that 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  107 


Christ  had  impressed  into  the  service  of  his  church  the  learned  men  of  those  days, 
the  Ciceros,  the  Virgils,  the  Ovids  and  men  hke  Tacitus,  who  wielded  their  pens 
and  spoke  eloquent  language  to  the  people  in  defense  of  the  Christian  religion,  the 
world  would  say,  "  There  is  no  miracle  here,  for  the  church  of  Christ  was 
established  not  by  the  folly  of  the  cross  but  by  the  persuasive  words  of  human 
wisdom."  Or,  again,  suppose  Christ  had  come  with  all  the  wealth  of  a  millionaire, 
dispensing  money  and  bribes  and  largesses  in  every  direction,  if  that  were  the  case 
the  people  would  say  with  truth,  "  There  is  no  miracle  here,  for  the  church  was 
established  not  by  the  pearl  of  great  price,  but  by  the  gold  that  glitters."  But 
when  we  see  the  religion  of  our  Savior  established  by  weakness  and  poverty  and 
by  these  elements  that  are  regarded  with  contempt  by  the  world,  then  we  are 
reminded  of  the  words  of  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles:  "  The  foolish  things  of  this 
world  hath  God  chosen  that  he  might  confound  the  wise,  and  the  weak  things  of 
this  world  hath  God  chosen  that  he  might  confound  the  strong,  and  the  things  that 
are  contemptible  and  the  things  that  are  not,  hath  God  chosen  that  he  might 
confound  the  things  that  are,  that  no  glory  should  glory  in  his  sight." 

We  are  here  to-day  assembled,  my  dear  friends,  as  the  Right  Reverend  clergy- 
man has  said,  we  are  here  assembled  to  commemorate  the  three  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  by  the  illustrious  man  who  gave  his 
name  to  this  lake.  Champlain  was  a  grand  character;  he  was  not  only  an  explorer 
but  he  was,  like  the  apostles  themselves,  endowed  with  the  spirit  of  an  apostle,  and 
his  great  aim  in  life,  in  all  his  missions,  in  all  his  journeys,  was  the  conversion  to 
Christianity  of  the  aboriginal  tribes,  and  we  may  form  some  idea  of  the  Christian 
character  of  that  man  by  one  sentence  which  he  uttered  when  he  said  that  "  the 
conversion  of  one  soul  is  of  more  value  than  the  founding  of  an  empire."  And 
there  are  heroes  in  this  day.  We  owe  indebtedness  to  France  for  the  great  men 
she  sent  to  our  country.  Many  great  apostles  preceded  and  accompanied  and 
followed  Champlain  across  the  Atlantic.  They  traversed  our  country.  They 
discovered  our  mountains  and  valleys,  our  lakes  and  our  rivers.  They  carried  in 
one  hand  the  torch  of  faith  and  in  the  other  the  torch  of  science,  and  as  an  evidence 
of  the  profound  learning  which  characterized  those  men,  I  may  remark  that  the 
charts  of  this  country  which  they  sent  to  the  mother  country  may  be  regarded  even 
at  this  day  as  models,  and  models  of  topographical  accuracy.  And  now,  my 
friends,  if  those  men,  if  Champlain  and  the  great  missionaries  who  accompanied 
him,  accomplished  so  much  in  their  day,  when  they  had  no  other  ships  except  frail 
canoes,  when  they  had  no  other  roads  except  eternal  snows  and  virgin  forests  and 
desert  wastes,  if  they  had  no  compass  but  the  naked  eye,  if  they  had  no  other  guide 
except  faith  and  hope  and  God,  if  they  accomplished  so  much  in  their  day,  how 
much  more  should  not  we  now  accomplish  in  our  day  by  the  aid  of  railroads  and 


108  State  of  New  York 


steamships  and  other  appliances  of  Christian  civilization?  Yes,  we  bless  you,  all 
men  of  genius,  and  we  bless  your  inventions,  and  we  will  impress  you  into  the 
service  of  the  church,  and  we  will  say  with  the  Psalmist,  "  the  sun  and  moon  bless 
the  Lord;  lightnings  and  clouds  bless  the  Lord;  fire  and  heat  bless  the  Lord;  all 
ye  works  of  the  Lord  praise  the  Lord,  bless  him  and  exalt  him  above  all  forever." 

And  may  I  not  say  wath  truth,  friends  and  patrons  of  this  great  Summer  School, 
may  I  not  say  without  exaggeration,  that  you  also  participate  in  the  spirit  of  the 
apostles  and  in  the  spirit  of  Champlain.  What  were  the  two  most  powerful 
agencies  that  moved  that  great  Champlain?  He  was  actuated  by  a  desire  for  the 
glory  of  France  and  the  glory  of  God.  Are  you  not  actuated,  brethren,  by  a 
love  of  your  country  not  less  ardent  than  his  love  for  his  country,  and  have  you 
not  in  your  breast  that  same  zeal  for  God  which  burned  also  in  his  breast?  Oh, 
brethren,  when  the  bishop  and  the  clergy  and  the  people  are  united,  as  you  are  in 
any  cause  looking  toward  the  advancement  of  religion  and  morality  and  the  better- 
ment of  society,  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail.  You  are  doing  the  works  of  God, 
and  God  is  with  you,  and  when  God  is  with  us  who  can  be  against  us?  And 
why  should  you  not  co-operate  with  your  clergy  as  you  are  doing?  Why  should 
you  not,  I  say,  co-operate;  and  you  do  co-operate;  and  by  this  co-operation  you 
form  a  triple  cord  that  cannot  be  broken,  you  form  a  triple  alliance  far  more 
formidable  and  more  powerful  and  more  enduring  than  the  triple  alliance  of  kings 
and  princes,  because  yours  is  not  an  alliance  of  flesh  and  blood,  but  it  is  an  alliance 
cemented  by  the  divine  virtues  of  faith  and  hope  and  charity.  And  why,  I  say, 
should  you  not  co-operate  with  your  bishops  and  clergy?  Are  you  not  all  children 
of  the  same  father?  Are  you  not  all  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  same  Christ? 
Are  you  not  all  sanctified  by  the  same  spirit,  no  matter  what  may  be  your  par- 
ticular avocation.  There  are  diversities  of  spirits  of  the  apostles  of  Christ;  there 
are  diversities  of  ministers  of  the  same  Lord;  there  are  diversities  of  operations  for 
the  same  God  that  worketh  all  in  all.  Unite  with  us  then,  brethren,  and  to-day 
on  this  joyous  and  memorial  occasion  record  two  vows;  fidelity  to  your  country 
and  fidelity  to  your  God. 

Love  your  country,  brethren.  No  man  should  be  a  drone  in  the  social  bee  hive 
in  our  country.  No  American  citizen  should  be  an  indifferent  spectator  of  the 
social  and  moral  and  religious  and  economic  and  even  political  problems  that  are 
agitated  around  us.  As  we  are  all  supported  in  the  possession  of  life  and  property 
by  the  arm  of  a  strong  and  enlightened  government,  so  should  we  all  co-operate 
in  sustaining  the  hand  that  holds  the  reins  of  government.  Above  all,  my  brethren, 
love  the  holy  church,  which  is  the  great  bulwark  of  society,  and,  I  say,  the  essential 
means  of  perpetuating  our  beautiful  and  noble  system  of  government.  Love  your 
church.     Love  her  institutions.     Take  an  active,  personal,  loyal  interest  in  every- 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  109 


thing  that  concerns  the  welfare  of  religion  and  of  God  Almighty,  and  you  will 
register  a  vow  to-day  and  say  from  your  hearts  in  the  words  of  the  apostle  of 
the  Gentiles:  "  Who  shall  separate  me  from  the  love  of  God  and  of  his  holy  church? 
Shall  tribulation  or  distress  or  nakedness  or  persecution  of  the  soul?  No.  I  am 
persuaded  that  neither  life  nor  death  nor  angels  nor  principalities  nor  powers  nor 
heighth  nor  might  nor  depth  nor  any  other  creature  shall  be  able  to  separate  me 
from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord."     May  God  bless  you. 

Elsewhere  around  the  lake,  wherever  there  was  a  Roman  Catholic 
parish  or  mission,  the  services  of  this  day  made  special  recognition  of  the 
Champlain  anniversary.  At  the  shrine  of  Ste.  Anne,  on  Isle  La  Motte, 
elaborate  services  of  much  interest  were  held.  These  are  further  noted 
on  a  subsequent  page  of  this  report,  in  connection  with  an  account  of  the 
historical  exercises  on  that  island. 

In  Plattsburgh,  the  morning  service  at  Trinity  Episcopal  church  was 
conducted  by  Coadjutor  Bishop  Richard  H.  Nelson  of  Albany,  who 
preached  the  following  sermon: 

Sermon  of  Bishop  Nelson 

Text:  Mlcah  IV:  2  —  "And  many  nations  shall  come  and  say,  Come  and  let  us  go  up  lo 
the  Mountain  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  House  of  the  God  of  Jacob." 

The  North  American  continent  appears  to  have  been  held  in  reserve  for  the 
working  out  of  a  Divine  purpose  to  which  all  nations  of  the  earth  have  contributed 
and  in  which  all  are  destined  to  share.  Toward  this  land  many  forces  have  con- 
verged, and  out  of  much  strife  a  nation  has  arisen  which  is  destined  to  pay  its 
indebtedness  to  many  peoples  by  a  rich  contribution  to  the  world's  civilization. 

The  special  event  which  we  commemorate  this  year  must  be  studied  in  its 
relation  to  the  various  attempts  made  by  European  nations  to  establish  themselves 
on  these  shores,  and  to  claim  for  their  respective  monarchs  a  continent  which  no 
one  of  them  was  destined  to  retain. 

For  a  generation  after  the  discovery  of  America,  Spain  and  Portugal  remained 
in  undisputed  possession  of  the  newly  found  continent.  Under  a  grant  from  Pope 
Alexander  VI  in  1493,  the  unexplored  regions  of  the  earth  were  divided  by  a 
meridian  passing  one  hundred  leagues  west  of  the  Azores  and  Cape  Verde  Islands. 
All  the  countries  west  of  this  were  assigned  to  Spain,  and  those  to  the  east  were 
given  to  Portugal,  except  so  far  as  any  lands  were  already  occupied  by  Christian 
nations.      The  pretensions  of  Spain  and   Portugal  were  not  recognized  by  other 


1 1 0  State  of  New  York 


European  nations,  and  it  was  not  long  before  equally  large  claims  were  made  by 
two  kingdoms  whose  ancient  rivalry  was  destined  to  perpetuate  itself  in  a  lojig  and 
bitter  contest  for  the  sovereignty  of  America. 

In  speaking  of  England  and  France  as  the  two  principal  rivals  for  the  possession 
of  the  New  World,  we  are  not  unmindful  of  the  valuable  contributions  made  by 
Holland  and  other  kingdoms  in  the  way  of  discovery,  settlement  and  development 
of  resources.  But,  after  all  due  allowance  is  made  for  the  influence  of  others, 
it  remains  true  that  the  real  struggle  for  sovereignty  lay  between  those  two  nations 
which  had  for  generations  breathed  mutual  defiance  across  the  English  channel. 

In  1 523,  a  French  expedition  under  Verrazano  explored  the  Atlantic  coast 
from  the  Carolinas  to  Newfoundland  and  claimed  it  for  France.  Ten  years  later 
Jacques  Cartier  discovered  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  soon  after  ascended  the 
great  river  as  far  as  Hochelaga,  or  Montreal,  proclaiming  it  as  the  property  of  the 
French  king.  Passing  over  the  ill-fated  attempts  of  the  Huguenots  under  the 
direction  of  Admiral  Coligny  to  settle  at  various  points  along  the  coast,  we  may 
next  note  the  remarkable  man  whose  discoveries  and  accomplishments  we  are  now 
commemorating. 

Samuel  Champlain  was  the  founder  of  Quebec,  the  discoverer  of  the  lake 
which  bears  his  name,  the  explorer  of  the  St.  LawTence  river  to  Lake  Ontario,  and 
of  the  Ottawa  river  to  its  source,  and  he  was  the  first  white  man  to  reach  the 
Georgian  Bay. 

He  was  not  merely  a  bold  explorer,  but  a  far-sighted  statesman,  who  for  thirty 
years  strove  to  establish  a  sound  colonial  policy  which  might  have  preserved  for 
France  one  of  its  richest  inheritances.  By  a  wise  instinct,  he  established  friendly 
relations  with  the  Indians  living  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  and  while  this 
alliance  with  the  Algonquins  and  Hurons  brought  him  into  conflict  with  the 
Iroquois,  it  secured  for  the  French  the  indispensable  aid  of  the  northern  tribes  in 
developing  the  vast  resources  of  the  fur  trade. 

Parallel  to  these  explorations  and  claims  of  France  we  must  follow  the  attempts 
of  English  adventurers  to  secure  a  foothold  in  the  New  World.  The  first  definite 
claim  of  England  is  to  be  found  in  the  Royal  Patent  issued  in  1578  to  Sir  Hum- 
phrey Gilbert,  "  For  the  inhabiting  and  planting  of  our  own  people  in  America." 
Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  took  possession  of  Newfoundland  in  1583  regardless  of 
the  earlier  French  claims.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  attempts  to  plant  colonies  in  the 
Island  of  Roanoke  in  1585  and  1587  came  to  nothing,  but  it  should  be  noted 
that  these  were  regarded  as  justifying  England's  claim  to  the  coasts  of  North 
America  to  which  region  was  given  the  general  name  of  Virginia.  The  English 
settlements  at  Jamestown  in  1607  and  at  Plymouth  in  1620  gave  substance  to 
claims  which  had  hitherto  been  little  more  than  compliments  to  the  queen. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  1 1 1 


In  all  this  earlier  work  of  exploration  and  settlement  the  fur  trade  bore  a  very 
important  part,  and  no  history  of  the  conflict  between  English  and  French  interests 
would  be  complete  without  at  least  an  outline  of  the  rivalry  between  the  "  Gentle- 
men Adventurers  of  England  "  and  the  North  West  Company. 

"  The  Gentlemen  Adventurers  of  England  "  were  incorporated  in  1 667  and 
three  years  later  were  chartered  as  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  Prince  Rupert 
being  among  the  notable  charter  members. 

It  is  curious  to  note  that  the  founder  and  most  active  agent  of  this  company 
was  a  Frenchman,  Pierre  Esprit  Radisson,  whose  apparent  disloyalty  to  his  own 
country  has  been  explained  in  recent  years  by  evidence  which  shows  that  he  was 
the  tool  of  Louis  XIV,  in  what  that  monarch  was  pleased  to  regard  as  statecraft. 
At  all  events,  he  served  both  nations  and  was  rewarded  by  neither,  although  his 
career  is  as  full  of  romantic  interest  as  he  was  himself  full  of  indomitable  courage. 

The  claims  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  were  fiercely  disputed  by  the  French 
fur  traders,  and  late  in  the  Eighteenth  century  the  North  West  Company  was 
organized  to  resist  the  encroachments  of  the  English.  After  many  years  of  bloody 
warfare  the  two  companies  united  in  1 82 1  under  the  name  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  and  continued  an  organization  which  has  been  aptly  described  as  the  latest 
survival  of  feudalism. 

We  must  now  turn  to  another  part  of  the  continent  in  order  to  realize  how 
England  and  France  were  the  chief  claimants  for  sovereignty  in  the  North  Ameri- 
can continent. 

The  colonization  of  the  lower  Mississippi  was  begun  by  the  French  in  1 699, 
New  Orleans  being  founded  in  1 7 1 8.  Working  northward  from  these  points, 
the  French  established  military  posts  on  the  Great  Lakes,  as  well  as  on  the  Wabash 
and  Illinois  rivers.  In  I  749  they  crossed  Lake  Erie  and  built  their  forts  on  the 
Alleghany  river.  This  invasion  of  the  English  settlements  resulted,  as  is  well 
known,  in  the  French  and  English  wars,  which  extended  from  the  western  borders 
to  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  ended  in  the  capture  of  Quebec  and 
Montreal.  When  we  consider  that  in  addition  to  Canada,  France  once  claimed 
all  of  the  United  States  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  that  the  purchase  of  the 
greater  part  of  this  from  the  French  government  was  not  effected  until  1803,  it 
may  be  sufficiently  clear  that  the  claim  of  France's  sovereignty  in  what  is  now  the 
United  States  was  as  extensive  and  as  persistent  as  that  of  England. 

I  have  no  time  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  reason  which  led  to  the  loss  of 
Canada  to  the  French,  or  the  loss  of  the  American  colonies  to  England.  In  both 
cases  the  blindness  of  the  home  governments  and  the  greed  of  their  representatives 
in  this  country  co-operated  to  bring  about  the  revolt  of  a  liberty  loving  people,  and 
the  rejection  of  a  feudal  system  which  had  been  already  repudiated  in  its  home. 


1 12  State  of  New  York 


The  result  has  been  that,  on  the  American  side  a  repubUc  has  grown  up,  repre- 
senting the  best  English  traditions  of  personal  freedom  and  constitutional  govern- 
ment. On  the  Canadian  side  we  see  to-day  a  union  of  English  and  French  in  a 
great  dominion  in  which  the  one-time  rivals  are  united  in  developing  the  resources 
of  a  country  whose  future  no  one  may  venture  to  forecast.  The  question  is  some- 
times asked,  "  Will  the  United  States  and  Canada  ever  become  one  nation?  "  I 
feel  that  the  question  is  as  idle  as  it  is  impertinent.  There  is  no  ground  for  believ- 
ing that  either  party  is  seriously  desirous  of  such  a  union.  As  neighbors  we  may 
expect  friendly  rivalry  along  the  lines  of  hereditary  enterprise,  but  union  is  as 
improbable  as  war  between  Canada  and  the  United  States.  Our  interests  are 
mutual,  and  we  may  rest  content  with  mutual  efforts  to  develop  our  resources  and 
to  learn  from  each  other  lessons  of  industry  and  patriotism. 

The  religious  side  of  our  subject  is  by  no  means  the  least  interesting,  and  I  am 
sure  that  no  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  past  three  hundred  years 
can  fail  to  note  how  deeply  the  religious  element  entered  into  all  the  events  which 
I  have  attempted  to  sketch. 

If  the  French  fur  traders  performed  marvels  of  physical  endurance  in  penetrat- 
ing the  northern  wilderness,  the  heroic  Jesuits  were  not  infrequently  found  in 
advance  of  them,  being  driven  by  their  fearless  zeal.  If  the  New  Englanders, 
and  the  Dutch  and  the  English  were  men  of  thrift  and  industry,  they  were  also 
men  of  deep  religious  faith  and  principle.  Religion  has  played  an  important  part 
in  the  history  of  this  nation,  and  I  believe  that  in  the  years  to  come  America  will 
contribute  largely  to  the  establishment  and  growth  of  God's  kingdom  on  earth. 
More  than  this,  I  am  confident  that  in  this  land  of  many  converging  nations,  we 
may  hope  to  see  the  working  out  of  God's  purposed  unity  for  all  who  believe  in 
Him. 

I  have  tried  to  show  that  England  and  France  were  the  two  chief  claimants 
for  political  control  in  this  country.  It  may  not  be  beside  the  mark  to  note  that 
there  is  a  religious  spirit  common  to  the  English  and  French  which  may  be  expected 
to  have  its  effect  upon  the  future  of  Christianity  in  this  land  and  in  the  world. 

Both  England  and  France  are  Catholic  countries.  I  hope  that  I  do  not  need 
to  define  that  word  Catholic  nor  to  apologize  for  using  it  in  the  sense  in  which  it 
has  been  recited  for  many  centuries  in  the  two  great  forms  of  the  Christian  creed. 
Both  France  and  England  are  Catholic  countries.  They  have  always  shown  their 
belief  in  and  reverence  for  a  church  which  is  of  Divine  institution  and  which  has 
preserved  its  continuity  with  the  church  of  apostolic  days.  But  while  holding 
firmly  to  the  idea  of  a  historic  Catholic  church,  both  England  and  France  have 
persistently  withstood  invasions  of  their  national  rights  by  the  spiritual  head  of  the 
church  in  another  country. 


PROF.  JOHN  ERSKINE 


PERCY  MAC  KAYE 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  1 1 3 


England's  claim  to  be  a  free  national  branch  of  the  Catholic  church  began 
before  Magna  Charta,  and  won  its  complete  recognition  in  1532.  Parallel  to  the 
English  claim  is  that  of  France.  The  Gailican  liberties  were  recognized  by  Pope 
Alexander  IV,  when  in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  Louis  IX  he  acknowledged  in 
1260  that  royal  officers  must  enforce  the  laws  of  France  even  against  the  clergy. 
In  1269  the  Pragmatic  Sanction  provided  against  any  exaction  of  money  by  a 
Roman  court  when  opposed  by  the  King  and  the  Church  of  France.  The  same 
spirit  of  resistance  to  foreign  invasion  will  be  noted  in  the  reign  of  Philip  of  Valois, 
and,  in  our  own  time,  there  has  been  an  uprising  of  the  old  Gailican  spirit  which 
has  sometimes  slumbered  but  which  will  never  die. 

In  this  parallel  of  English  and  French  Church  history,  I  find  a  suggestion  of  the 
end  toward  which  we  may  hope  to  work  in  this  country.  We  desire  to  see  a 
House  of  God  for  many  nations,  a  truly  American  Catholic  Church,  Catholic  in 
its  faith  and  order  and  sacraments,  and  Catholic  in  its  spirit  of  love  and  social 
service.  A  church  which  shall  preserve  its  organic  unity  with  the  Church  of  all 
the  ages,  but  a  Church  which  shall  maintain  also  the  primitive  principles  of  national 
independence  and  integrity. 

No  one,  looking  back  over  the  past  300  years  of  American  history,  ought  to 
belittle  the  services  rendered  to  American  Christianity  by  all  those  who  have  con- 
tributed to  the  religious  life  of  this  nation.  Least  of  all,  perhaps,  as  we  com- 
memorate the  life  and  work  of  Samuel  Champlain,  ought  we  to  begrudge  the 
honor  due  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  for  its  past  and  present  services  to  the 
American  people.  We  may  enter  into  their  joy  to-day  without  envy  and  without 
any  memory  of  controversies.  With  them,  we  plead  for  a  Church  Ideal  in 
America  which  shall  stand  for  all  that  is  Holy,  Catholic  and  Apostolic  —  a  church 
in  which  French  and  English  and  all  nations  shall  find  their  most  highly  prized 
traditions,  and  in  which  they  may  labor  together  for  one  country  and  for  one  God. 


III.  MONDAY.  JULY  5:  AT  CROWN  POINT  FORTS 

lis 


III.  MONDAY,  JULY  5:  AT  CROWN  POINT  FORTS 

THE  POPULAR  CELEBRATION  of  the  Champlain  anniversary  began  on 
Monday,  July  5th,  and  the  first  gathering  place,  both  of  residents 
of  the  valley  and  of  those  vs'ho  had  come  from  a  distance,  was  at 
Crown  Point.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  in  all  America  a  more  impressive 
meeting  place,  especially  for  exercises  of  an  historical  character.  On  the 
parade  ground  of  old  Fort  Amherst  flags  were  unfurled  and  addresses 
were  given  in  a  rude  but  lovely  amphitheater,  surrounded  by  massive  ruins 
of  a  construction  said  to  have  cost  the  British  Crown  more  than  two  million 
pounds. 

On  the  Sunday  afternoon  before,  the  replica  of  Champlain's  pioneer 
ship,  the  little  Don  de  Dieu,  had  come  up  the  lake,  humbly  in  tow  behind 
a  tug,  and  was  now  gayly  flying  the  colors  of  France  at  her  anchorage  off 
Crown  Point. 

Following  the  sham  battle  in  the  morning  and  the  noon  interval  for 
lunch,  at  1  :30  P.  M.,  a  salute  from  the  guns  of  the  United  States  naval 
flotilla  announced  the  arrival  of  the  Governors  of  New  York  and  Ver- 
mont. The  spectacle  of  the  Indian  pageants,  described  in  previous  pages, 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  throng  for  an  hour;  and  at  3  o'clock  an 
audience  numbering  many  thousands  surrounded  the  speakers'  stand  on 
the  parade  ground  of  Fort  Amherst. 

Hon.-  Walter  C.  Witherbee,  of  the  New  York  Commission,  a  dis- 
tinguished resident  of  Port  Henry  and  member  of  the  firm  which  has  since 
presented  to  the  State  of  New  York  the  site  and  ruins  of  the  Crown  Point 
Forts,  presided  at  this  opening  meeting  and  presented  the  speakers,  intro- 
ducing the  first  of  them,  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
in  the  following  words: 

Covernor  Hughes,  Ladies  and  Cenllemcn:  We  welcome  you  all  to  this,  the 
first  of  the  formal  exercises  of  the  tercentenary  celebration  of  the  discovery  of 
Lake  Champlain  amid  these  historic  ruins,  whose  history  is  well  known  to  all.     We 

117 


1 1 8  State  of  New  York 


are  fortunate  in  having  with  us  the  Chief  Executive  of  this  State  and  I  take  pleasure 
in  introducing  to  you  as  our  first  speaker,  His  Excellency  the  Honorable  Charles 
E.  Hughes,  Governor  of  New  York. 

Governor  Hughes  was  received  by  the  audience  —  as  he  w^as  every- 
where throughout  the  days  of  the  celebration  —  with  the  WEurmest 
enthusiasm. 

Address  of  Governor  Hughes 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Fellow  Cilizem:  We  begin  to-day  the 
ceremonies  in  commemoration  of  an  event  of  extraordinary  significance.  Where 
in  this  fair  world  can  be  found  a  place  so  richly  endowed  by  daring  and  by 
exploit  and  at  the  same  time  so  favored  by  Nature?  A  gateway  to  a  continent, 
waiting  through  the  silent  ages  for  the  approach  of  the  intrepid  voyager,  soldier 
and  colonist;  an  avenue  of  conflict  —  a  scene  of  contest  in  which  Algonquin  and 
Iroquois  contended  for  supremacy,  of  fierce  rivalries  of  Old  World  powers,  seek- 
ing to  extend  the  domains  of  monarchy,  of  determined  struggle  for  independence, 
that  a  new  Nation  might  be  born  and  bless  humanity  with  institutions  devoted  to 
the  maintenance  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

Three  nations  join  to-day  in  common  recognition  of  the  sons  who  here  dis- 
played valor  and  heroism  worthy  of  the  highest  standards  of  each.  Without  taunt 
or  bitterness,  without  vain  regret  for  the  inevitable,  without  the  suspicions  of  ill-will 
or  the  boastings  of  ill-natured  rivalry,  we  retrace  the  paths  of  early  strife. 

Here  Frenchman,  Englishman  and  American  may  find  their  heroes;  and  in 
examples  of  bravery,  of  high  resolve,  and  of  fearless  and  unselfish  devotion,  no 
one  of  them  need  yield  the  palm  to  others.  Champlain  and  Montcalm,  Lord  Howe 
and  Amherst,  Ethan  Allen,  Seth  Warner,  Israel  Putnam,  Philip  Schuyler  and 
Richard  Montgomery  forever  invest  this  beautiful  valley  with  the  charm  of  heroic 
deeds  and  chivalric  loyalty. 

It  is  not  for  me  to  recount  the  tale  of  discovery  and  war.  It  is  the  privilege  of 
others  to  tell  the  romantic  story.  The  spot  upon  which  we  stand  to-day  is  more 
intimately  associated  with  later  events  than  with  the  career  of  the  discoverer  whose 
name  we  chiefly  honor  in  this  week  of  celebration.  For  more  than  a  century  after 
Champlain  passed  below  this  point  to  aid  his  savage  friends  in  the  contest  with 
their  hated  enemies,  the  Iroquois,  no  permanent  settlement  along  the  borders  of 
this  lake  was  effected.  It  was  the  scene  of  warlike  expedition,  but  not  until  1731 
was  this  strategic  point,  a  key  to  the  control  of  this  great  highway  of  war,  fortified. 
Fort  St.  Frederic  was  then  established  by  the  French,  and  within  a  few  years  was 
made  a   fortress   of  first   importance.      Later,   in    1 759,   the    English   commander 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  1 1 9 


Amherst,  at  whose  approach  the  French  evacuated  their  fort,  undertook  the  con- 
struction, at  a  cost  of  many  millions,  of  new  and  extensive  fortifications  —  whose 
ruins  you  now  see  —  which  were  to  ensure  the  permanency  of  the  British  control. 

But  these  ruins,  suggestive  as  they  are  of  enterprise,  of  skilful  preparation  and 
of  lavish  outlay,  are  in  truth  the  monument  of  baffled  ambition  and  of  disappointed 
hopes. 

The  French,  destroying  their  own  work,  abandoned  their  fort  to  the  English. 
Only  a  few  years  later,  in  1775,  the  Green  Mountain  boy,  Seth  Warner,  with 
his  little  band,  took  possession  without  a  blow.  The  next  year,  retreating  from 
Canada,  the  Americans  regarded  Crown  Point  as  indefensible,  and  burying  here 
hundreds  of  their  comrades,  pushed  on  in  destitution  and  distress  to  Ticonderoga. 
It  was  from  Crown  Point,  later  in  the  year  1  776,  that  Arnold  set  forth  with  his 
little  fleet  to  check  the  designs  of  the  English  General  Carleton,  and  in  defeat  in 
the  battle  of  Valcour  Island,  won  lasting  laurels  for  the  American  name  by  his 
military  skill  and  indomitable  courage.  Hither,  by  rare  strategy,  he  succeeded  in 
returning  but  not  to  stay;  and  Crown  Point  again  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
British.  The  next  year  arrived  Burgoyne,  with  his  great  army,  spreading  terror 
and  confusion,  issuing  grandiloquent  and  insolent  proclamation,  sweeping  with 
resistless  force  to  Fort  Edward,  holding  Crown  Point  and  reducing  Ticonderoga, 
only  to  meet  the  appalling  disaster  at  Saratoga,  where  the  success  of  the  American 
arms  destroyed  the  basis  for  British  hope  of  dominion  over  the  colonies  and  assured 
the  final  success  of  the  cause  of  independence. 

Upon  this  vantage  point  have  stood  French  and  English,  each  in  turn  bent 
upon  dominating  the  future  of  this  favored  land. 

But  destiny  would  have  it  otherwise,  and  among  these  ruins  of  ambition  were 

laid   the   foundations   of   the   republic  under   whose   banner  we   meet   to-day,   the 

friend  both  of  France  and  England,  in  whose  blessings  the  children  of  both  the 

ancient   rivals   share,    whose     peaceful     progress     is     a     boon    to     all     mankind. 

(Applause.) 

The  Honorable  Seth  Low,  of  New  York,  was  introduced  by  Chairman 
Witherbee,  and  enthusiastically  received.  He  delivered  the  following 
historical  address: 


120  State  of  New  York 


Address  of  Honorable  Seth  Low,  of  New  York  City,  at  Crown 

Point,  July  5,  1909 

Felloiv  Citizens,  Ladies  and  Cenilemen:  We  are  met  to-day  on  this 
memorable  spot,  where  men  of  many  nations  have  battled  in  days  gone  by, 
to  celebrate  the  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  this  beautiful 
and  historic  lake  by  Samuel  Champlain,  and  also  to  celebrate  the  one 
hundred  and  thirty-third  anniversary  of  the  independence  of  these  United  States. 
In  the  history  of  the  United  States,  New  England  has  played  so  important  a  part 
that  we  do  not  always  remember  that  before  it  was  called  "  New  England  "  that 
territory  was  known  as  "  New  France."  Similarly,  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  on 
Plymouth  Rock  in  I  620  has  bulked  so  large  before  the  minds  of  the  American  people 
that  we  are  apt  to  forget  that  the  French  had  entered  the  domain  of  what  is  now  the 
State  of  New  York  eleven  years  before  the  voyagers  of  the  Ma^floiver  estab- 
lished the  colony  at  Plymouth.  It  is  an  interesting  coincidence  that  the  State  and  city 
of  New  York  are  to  celebrate,  in  this  same  year,  the  voyage  of  Henry  Hudson  up 
the  majestic  river  which  bears  his  name,  which  led  almost  immediately  to  the  settle- 
ment of  New  Amsterdam  by  the  Dutch.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that,  while  the 
French  were  the  first  to  enter  our  State,  and  while  this  lake  still  bears  the  name  of 
its  discoverer,  the  name  of  "  New  France  "  never  attached  itself  permanently  to 
New  York  territory.  The  Dutch,  on  the  other  hand,  called  the  province  "  New 
Netherlands  "  before  its  borders  were  strictly  defined,  and  this  name  it  held  until 
its  cession  by  the  Dutch  to  England  gave  to  the  Province,  and  afterward  to  the  State, 
its  name  of  New  York.  The  French  name  did  not  adhere,  while  the  Dutch  name 
did,  because  to  the  French  this  region  was  only  a  battle  ground,  Vi^hile  to  the  Dutch 
this  territory  offered  the  opportunity  of  permanent  settlement.  More  than  once  in 
the  history  of  this  country  the  plough  has  shown  itself  superior  to  the  sword  as 
affording  a  title  to  the  land.  When  the  Oregon  Territory  was  in  dispute  between 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  the  title  ultimately  fell  to  the  United  States, 
because  it  was  proved  that  settlers,  arriving  in  wagons  upon  wheels  overland  from 
the  American  Union,  were  the  first  to  establish  homes  there  bj'  ploughing  the  soil  for 
permanent  occupancy.  The  English  claim,  on  the  other  hand,  rested  upon  the  early 
and  undisputed  presence  of  their  fur  traders  in  the  same  region;  but,  when  the  dis- 
pute was  adjusted,  it  was  recognized  that  to  shoot  over  a  land  to  gather  furs  con- 
stitutes a  title  far  less  valuable  than  to  make  the  land  yield  crops  for  the  support  of 
human  life.  And  so  Oregon  and  the  State  of  Washington  became  parts  of  the 
United  States. 


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The  Champlain  Tercentenary  121 


This  celebration  carries  us  back  to  the  France  of  Henry  of  Navarre  and  to  the 
England  of  James  I.  It  also  carries  us  back,  upon  this  continent,  to  the  supremacy 
of  the  Five  Nations  of  the  Iroquois,  among  the  red  men  of  tke  forest.  Crown 
Point  has  this  significance,  in  the  history  of  all  this  region,  that  it  was  at  or  near  here 
that  Champlain,  with  his  Canadian  Indian  allies  of  the  Huron  and  Algonquin  tribes, 
first  met  the  Iroquois  in  battle.  Up  to  that  dramatic  moment  the  Iroquois  had  never 
seen  firearms,  and  when,  in  the  course  of  the  fight,  Champlain  stepped  forward,  clad 
in  armor,  and  with  his  arquebuse  killed  one  of  the  Iroquois  chieftains,  at  a  distance, 
the  unexpected  noise  and  the  surprising  effect  of  the  shot  carried  terror  to  the  hearts 
of  the  Iroquois.  Quickly  they  abandoned  their  stockade  and  Red,  and  the  victory 
was  with  the  allies  from  the  North.  But,  like  many  another  victory  on  the  field  of 
battle,  the  distant  result  was  far-reaching  and  unexpected.  The  Iroquois  soon 
became  accustomed  to  firearms  and  to  the  use  of  them;  but  this  first  conflict  with 
the  French,  and  the  defeat  which  they  suffered  at  their  hands,  made  the  powerful 
Iroquois  people  permanent  enemies  of  the  French,  in  the  long  struggle  which  subse- 
quently ensued  between  France  and  England  and  the  English  Colonies  for  the 
control  of  this  continent.  More  than  once  during  this  struggle  the  attitude  of  the 
Iroquois  was  decisive,  and  in  instances  fatal  to  the  purposes  of  France. 

It  will  probably  be  a  surprise  to  many  to  be  told  that  it  is  believed  that  there  are 
as  many  Indians  living  to-day,  within  the  borders  of  the  United  States,  as  there  were 
when  the  white  men  first  landed  on  these  shores.  I  heard  General  Armstrong,  the 
founder  of  Hampton  Institute,  make  such  a  statement  thirty  years  ago,  and  was  so 
surprised  that  I  asked  him  for  his  authority.  He  could  not  sustain  his  statement  by 
direct  reference,  from  the  nature  of  the  case;  but  he  told  me  that  he  knew  that  that 
was  the  opinion  of  the  well-informed.  Since  then  I  have  met  the  statement  many 
times,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  the  fact.  The  history  of  Canada  affords  an  illustration 
which  makes  the  statement  seem  not  unreasonable.  While  Champlain's  relation  to 
the  permanent  settlement  of  Canada  is  so  decisive  that  he  is  properly  called  "  The 
Father  of  New  France,"  he  was  not  the  first  Frenchman  to  sail  up  the  St.  Lawrence. 
Jacques  Cartier,  in  1535,  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  as  far  as  the  present  city  of 
Montreal,  and  there  he  found  an  Indian  town  with  more  than  a  thousand  inhabitants, 
called  Hochelaga.  Sixty-eight  years  later,  when  Champlain  visited  this  same  spot 
there  was  no  sign  whatever  of  any  settlement.  The  Indians  had  scattered,  and  the 
whole  region  had  become  unsafe  through  constant  warfare  with  the  Iroquois.  In 
other  words,  the  Indians  were  not  permanent  settlers.  They  roamed  through  the 
woods,  establishing  their  camps,  now  here  and  now  there,  and,  as  they  were  engaged 
in  almost  constant  warfare  with  one  another,  their  numbers  could  not  greatly  increase. 
While,  therefore,  it  is  certainly  the  case  that  the  number  of  Indians  east  of  the 
Mississippi  is  much  smaller  than  the  number  who  roamed  over  this  territory  when  the 


122  State  of  New  York 


whites  first  landed  on  these  shores,  the  number  of  Indians  who  now  hve  west  of  the 
Mississippi  is  believed  to  be  far  greater  than  it  used  to  be.  This  is  the  result  of  the 
early  policy  of  the  United  States  in  moving  into  what  was  then  the  Far  West,  all  the 
tribes  that  had  proved  themselves  to  be  uncomfortable  neighbors  in  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  country.  Whatever  faults  may  be  charged  against  our  government,  in  detail, 
in  its  relation  to  Indian  tribes,  it  may  at  least  be  said  that  its  policy  of  confining 
Indians  to  reservations,  and  thus  protecting  them  from  utter  destruction,  as  civilization 
closed  in  about  them,  has  probably  had  the  effect  of  keeping  their  numbers  on  this 
continent,  as  a  whole,  as  large  as  they  ever  were.  We  may  justly  rejoice  that,  in 
these  later  days,  since  it  became  evident  that  the  Indian  problem  could  no  longer  be 
solved  by  the  removal  of  the  tribes  to  more  distant  places,  away  from  contact  with 
the  white  man,  the  government  has  made,  and  is  making,  strenuous,  and  often 
successful,  efforts  to  fit  the  individual  Indian  to  play  a  useful  part  in  the  white  man's 
civilization.  Senator  Robert  L.  Owen,  from  the  new  State  of  Oklahoma,  is  a 
Cherokee  Indian,  so  that  in  his  person  the  aborigines  are  now  represented  in  the 
government  of  the  Republic.  Here,  again,  one  is  led  to  realize  that  the  bow  and 
arrow  and  the  rifle  often  go  down  before  the  plough.  In  other  words,  the  husband- 
man outlasts  the  hunter.  That,  again,  is  a  commentary  on  the  Greek  myth  of 
Antasus,  the  giant  whom  Hercules  overcame  only  by  holding  him  in  the  air  until 
he  had  choked  him,  because  every  time  that  Antaeus  touched  the  earth  he  acquired 
new  strength.  If  you  read  the  commercial  forecasts  of  the  present  hour,  you  Vidll 
recognize  the  same  old  truth,  for  it  is  everywhere  declared  that  the  prosperity  of  our 
country,  in  the  immediate  future,  depends  upon  the  outcome  of  this  year's  harvests. 
The  France  of  Henry  IV  was  a  feudal  France,  and  the  attempt  of  France  to 
dominate  North  America  involved  the  attempt  to  establish  in  the  wilderness  the  same 
feudal  system  that  had  slowly  developed  out  of  European  conditions  during  a  thou- 
sand years,  and  that  was,  even  then,  on  the  point  of  perishing  there.  The  historian 
Parkman  has  pointed  out  that  New  France,  in  its  fall,  led  to  two  revolutions  —  the 
American  and  the  French;  and  the  French  Revolution  put  a  definitive  end  to  the 
ancient  regime.  The  change  effected  in  society  in  Europe  and  elsewhere,  by  this 
revolution,  was  so  radical  that  I  have  heard  a  deep  student  of  European  history  say 
that  it  is  impossible  for  any  modern  man  to  think  himself  back  into  the  conditions 
that  prevailed  prior  to  the  French  Revolution.  If  one  will  bear  this  in  mind,  two 
thoughts  spring  to  the  front.  First,  that  it  is  not  strange  that  the  attempt  to  domesti- 
cate the  ancient  regime  of  France  in  the  vnlds  of  North  America  was  not  successful; 
and,  second,  that  it  is  the  old  France  and  not  the  republican  France  of  our  own  day 
that  failed.  If  Parkman  be  right,  it  was  the  failure  of  the  old  France  in  North 
America  which  helped  to  precipitate  the  incoming  of  the  new  France  in  Europe. 
The  old  France,  with  all  its  mistakes,  left,  nevertheless,  on  this  side  of  the  ocean 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  123 


its  v/orthy  monuments.  You  find  them  in  the  name  of  Lake  Champlain,  in  the  name 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  at  St.  Louis,  and  in  Louisiana ;  and  French  names  are 
identified  with  prosperous  communities  all  over  this  region,  not  only  in  Canada,  but 
in  the  United  States.  These  isolated  tokens  of  early  French  occupancy  are  tributes 
to  the  enterprise,  the  endurance,  and  the  heroism  of  the  founders  of  New  France, 
and  of  that  intrepid  band  of  discoverers  who  rested  not  until  they  had  discovered  all 
of  the  Great  Lakes  and  had  traversed  the  Mississippi  from  its  source  to  its  mouth. 
In  the  province  of  Quebec,  moreover,  one  finds  still  a  population  that  are  the  lineal 
descendants  of  the  early  settlers  of  New  France.  They  retain  by  treaty  right  their 
old  laws  and  their  old  customs,  and  they  have  always  been  a  loyal  and  useful 
element  in  the  population  of  Canada.  The  manufactures  of  New  England  bear 
constant  testimony  to  their  industry  and  faithfulness;  and  the  distinguished  premier 
of  Canada  to-day.  Sir  Wilfred  Laurier,  is  a  descendant  of  that  stock.  It  is  literally 
true,  therefore,  that  New  France,  "  being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  Indeed,  she  still 
lives  in  the  names  of  her  founders,  and  in  the  persons  of  their  descendants,  and  con- 
tributes to  the  life  of  to-day  influences  that  we  would  not  willingly  let  die. 

No  one  can  speak  of  the  history  of  New  France  v^thout  pausing  to  pay  a  tribute 
to  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  of  whom  Jogues,  Breboeuf,  and  Lalemant  stand  out  conspicu- 
ously as  heroic  and  noble  types.  These  men  left  France,  inspired  by  the  burning 
desire  to  convert  the  Indians  of  America  to  Christianity.  Breboeuf  and  these  others 
sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood,  perishing  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians  under 
unspeakable  tortures;  but  no  privation  and  no  danger  led  them  to  quail.  French 
Canada  to  this  day  is  loyal  to  their  memories  and  to  their  church. 

CrowTi  Point  holds  one  other  relation  to  the  succession  of  events  which,  in  one 
sense,  is  hardly  less  decisive  than  was  that  battle  near  here  in  which  Champlain  killed 
the  first  Iroquois  who  fell  at  the  hands  of  the  French.  For  many  years  the  settle- 
ment of  the  continent  proceeded  so  slowly  that  the  French  and  the  English  did  not 
come,  in  this  part  of  the  country,  into  very  close  touch  with  each  other.  In  1 904  I 
took  part  in  the  dedication  of  a  boulder  in  memory  of  Champlain,  in  recognition  of 
his  discovery  in  the  year  I  604  of  the  Island  of  Mount  Desert.  Along  the  coast  of 
Maine,  which  the  French  early  settled,  the  French  and  the  English  came  into  early 
conflict.  The  greater  numbers  of  the  English  in  this  region  gave  them  quick 
supremacy;  but  it  was  nearly  a  century  later  before  both  France  and  England 
recognized  that  they  were  to  have  a  life-and-death  struggle  for  the  control  of  the 
continent.  About  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  —  in  1  73 1  —  when  this 
idea  had  been  fully  grasped,  the  French  Governor  of  Canada  sent  the  Sieur  de  la 
Fresniere  to  occupy  Crown  Point,  which,  by  its  location  on  Lake  Champlain,  just 
where  the  lake  narrows  almost  to  a  river,  is  evidently  a  strategic  point  of  great  value, 
and  here  was  built  Fort  Frederic.     The  manifest  purpose  of  France  thus  to  hold 


124  State  of  New  York 


this  region  by  force  of  arms,  precipitated  the  conflict  in  this  part  of  the  continent 
which  terminated  only  with  the  death  of  Montcalm  and  the  surrender  of  Quebec  to 
the  victorious  Wolfe.  Ticonderoga,  just  below  us,  where  the  waters  of  Lake  George 
enter  into  Lake  Champlain,  was  the  more  frequent  battle  ground;  but  it  was  the 
occupation  of  Crown  Point  by  the  French,  at  this  juncture,  which  turned  the  tide  of 
battle  into  this  region.  I  assume  that  the  celebration  at  Ticonderoga  will  concern 
itself  with  the  military  events  which  have  given  to  that  name  its  fateful  and  august 
significance  in  the  history  of  this  continent.  I  think  I  am  right,  however,  in  saying 
that  it  was  the  aggressive  move  of  France  in  occupying  and  fortifying  Crown  Point 
which  brought  things  to  a  crisis  in  all  this  region. 

At  the  recent  celebration  in  Quebec,  it  was  pointed  out  that  the  completeness  of 
the  victory  of  England  over  France  for  the  mastery  of  this  continent,  itself  made 
possible  the  American  Revolution;  for  the  English  Colonies,  while  they  had  a  mili- 
tary power  like  France  for  a  neighbor,  were  not  at  all  likely  to  set  up  for  them- 
selves. When,  however,  this  danger  disappeared,  the  spirit  of  independence  waxed 
stronger  and  stronger  until  it  culminated  in  the  American  Revolution.  It  is  worth 
while  also  to  point  out,  in  this  connection,  that  precisely  as  it  was  the  old  France,  and 
not  the  France  of  our  day,  which  failed  to  make  New  France  permanent,  so  also  it 
was  an  England  that  has  changed  in  the  interval  scarcely  less  than  France  has 
changed,  which  failed  to  hold  its  American  Colonies.  The  England  of  that  day 
had  not  yet  learned  the  lesson  that  no  colonies  can  be  successfully  held,  as  the  old 
idea  ran,  for  the  purpose  of  being  exploited  in  the  interest  of  the  mother  country. 
The  effort  to  do  this  means  a  challenge,  whenever  the  strength  to  support  the  chal- 
lenge has  been  developed;  and,  while,  in  a  sense,  therefore,  it  may  be  true  that  the 
fall  of  New  France  deprived  England  of  the  Colonies  which  are  now  the  United 
States,  it  is  also  true  that,  through  this  loss,  England  has  been  able  to  hold  true  to 
herself,  ever  since,  the  Colony  of  Canada  by  granting  to  Canada  a  measure  of 
independence  which  the  old  England  denied  to  the  colonies  that  have  become  the 
United  States.  And  so  England's  loss  has  been,  at  the  same  time,  England's  gain. 
Nor  should  it  be  overlooked,  on  an  occasion  like  this,  that  we  of  the  United  States 
owe  to  the  help  of  the  old  France,  against  whom  we  contended  with  England  for 
the  mastery  of  this  continent,  the  decisive  assistance  against  England  which  enabled 
us  to  maintain  successfully  our  Declaration  of  Independence.  How  many  and  how 
tangled  are  the  threads  which  make  up  the  pattern  of  history  as  one  looks  back  upon 
it  after  two  hundred  years! 

In  the  many  military  struggles  for  the  control  of  this  region  the  mastery  of  Lake 
Champlain  has  been  a  decisive  factor.  When  the  French  controlled  the  lake  the 
English  were  driven  back.  When  the  English  controlled  the  lake  the  French 
were   driven   back.      When,   later,   the    English   controlled   the   lake,    the   Ameri- 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  125 


cans  were  driven  back;  and  when  the  Americans  controlled  the  lake,  the  English 
were  obliged  to  retire.  This  is  an  illustration  from  inland  waters  of  Admiral 
Mahan's  proposition  of  the  decisive  influence  of  sea  power  in  history.  Commodore 
Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie  teaches  the  same  lesson;  for  the  victory  of  the  Ameri- 
can fleet  on  Lake  Erie  made  it  necessary  for  the  English  to  abandon  Detroit  and 
other  points  to  the  west,  in  order  to  keep  in  touch  with  their  base  of  supplies.  And 
so,  in  turn.  Lake  Champlain  has  belonged  to  France,  to  England,  and  to  the  United 
States;  and  with  its  control  has  gone  the  control  of  a  large  part  of  the  surrounding 
territory. 

The  Poet  Whittier,  in  1876,  began  his  Centennial  Poem  with  these  words: 

"  O  Thou,  Who  hast  in  concord  furled 
The  war-flags  of  a  gathered  world." 

It  is  the  happiest  feature  of  this  celebration  that  representatives  of  France,  of 
England,  of  Canada,  and  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  Indian  aborigines,  are 
met  here  on  terms  of  amity  and  concord,  on  this  spot  where  so  often  in  the  olden 
days  they  met  as  enemies  under  contending  banners.  Surely  the  enduring  lesson  of 
such  a  gathering  as  this  is  not  only  that  the  plough  gives  a  securer  title  to  the  land 
than  the  rifle,  but  also  that  "  peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war." 
The  nations  that  used  to  be  constantly  at  war  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  are  knit 
together  now  by  ties  of  mutual  respect  and  mutual  esteem.  Out  of  this  happy 
concord  may  there  continually  develop  a  spirit  of  good  feeling,  which  more  and 
more,  as  the  centuries  roll  on,  shall  grow  into  an  all-embracing  brotherhood  of  men. 

The  Chairman,  Walter  C.  Witherbee,  then  happily  welcomed  back 
to  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood  days,  the  next  speaker,  the  Honorable  Albert 
C.  Barnes,  of  Chicago,  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  111., 
who  was  most  cordially  received  by  the  audience.  He  delivered  the 
following  address  on  "  Old  Crown  Point  " : 


126  State  of  New  York 

OLD  CROWN  POINT 

Address  of  Hon.  ALBERT  C.  Barnes,  of  Chicago,  at  Crown  Point,  July  5,  1909. 

Fellow  Citizens,  Ladies  and  Cenllemen:  We  meet  to  celebrate  discovery  and 
conquest,  independence  and  peace.  On  a  continent  discovered  only  about  four 
centuries  ago,  we  meet  on  a  spot  known  in  history  for  three  centuries  of  that  time. 
When  Champlain  touched  these  shores  it  was  still  the  period  of  exploration.  No 
permanent  encroachment  on  the  dominion  of  the  savage  north  of  the  James  had 
been  made  until  his  arrival.  Daring  navigators  had  for  a  century  skirted  the 
coasts  here  and  there,  but  the  continent  was  in  practically  undisturbed  possession  of 
the  Indian.  Henry  Hudson  had  not  yet  cruised  up  the  river  that  bears  his  name, 
and  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  was  still  over  a  decade  away.  When,  therefore, 
Champlain  paddled  up  this  lake  on  those  quiet  July  nights,  three  hundred  years 
ago,  the  white  man  for  the  first  time  caught  the  vision  of  this  most  beautiful  valley. 

When  we  pause  to  contemplate  what  has  transpired  on  this  continent  in  the 
intervening  years,  what  has  been  crowded  into  even  the  last  half  of  that  period, 
what  has  been  accomplished  upon  it  for  science  and  art,  and  the  political,  economic 
and  moral  progress  of  mankind,  we  can  hardly  think  of  America  as  the  domain  of 
savages  only  three  centuries  ago,  and  may  well  deem  its  discovery  to  have  been  the 
great  force  that  awoke  human  genius  and  energy  to  the  multiplied  activities  that 
have  brought  about  our  modern  progress. 

But  it  is  only  of  the  historic  place  where  we  so  auspiciously  meet  that  I  am 
to  speak.  It  is  fitting  that  the  ceremonies  of  this  week  should  be  inaugurated  here 
on  old  Crown  Point.  Other  places  along  the  lake  present  special  claims  to  historic 
interest  and  distinction.  Isle  La  Motte  will  be  associated  with  the  first  actual 
occupancy  of  its  shores;  Cumberland  Head  with  brave  Macdonough  and  his 
memorable  naval  victory  in  the  War  of  1812;  Plattsburgh  with  the  accompanying 
defeat  of  the  British  land  forces;  Valcour  with  the  intrepid  Arnold  and  the  first 
naval  engagement  of  the  Revolution;  Fort  Ticonderoga  with  Abercromby's  dis- 
astrous assault,  the  death  of  Lord  Howe,  and  later  with  the  heroic  Allen  and  his 
dramatic  demand  for  its  surrender.  But  Crown  Point  may  justly  lay  claim  to 
direct  association  with  the  discoverer  of  the  lake  himself  and  with  an  event  that 
lies  back  of  all  these.  Before  the  foundations  of  Amherst's  fort,  here  before  us  in 
majestic  ruins,  were  laid;  before  Fort  St.  Frederic  reared  its  stern  walls  on  yonder 
bluff;  before  the  military  vanguard  of  civilization  had  encamped  upon  these  shores, 
over  a  century  before  the  white  man  constructed  his  pioneer  hut  on  its  banks,  there 
took  place  here,  probably  within  half  a  mile  from  where  we  are  assembled,  an 
event  that  has  been  well  described  as  one  of  the  cardinal  facts  of  American  history. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  127 


It  was  Champlain's  battle  with  the  Iroquois.  In  the  hght  of  subsequent  events  no 
fact  in  the  local  history  of  this  region  stands  out  in  bolder  relief.  And  yet  the 
site  of  that  battle  is  the  subject  of  unsettled  controversy. 

Born  as  I  was  on  the  opposite  shore  at  Chimney  Point,  and  there  reared  with 
the  traditions  and  history  of  this  lake  for  my  nursery  tales,  I  cannot  forbear  saying 
that  this  occasion  ought  not  to  pass  without  reasserting  Crown  Point's  claim  to  this 
historic  distinction  and  harking  back  to  the  only  authentic  source  of  information 
upon  the  subject. 

In  giving  events  as  they  occurred  while  on  his  voyage,  Champlain  in  his  narrative 
tells  of  reaching  a  certain  part  of  the  lake  from  which  he  beheld  mountains  to  the 
east  and  south,  the  former  unquestionably  the  Green  mountains,  and  the  latter  some 
spur  of  the  Adirondacks,  running  toward  the  lake.  This  was  at  least  two  or  three 
days  before  he  reached  the  place  of  battle,  and  from  where  he  could  see  no  hills 
to  the  south  except  those  on  Lake  Champlain.  He  proceeds  to  state  what  his 
Indian  companions  told  him  of  the  latter  mountains,  of  the  lake  beyond  them, 
and  of  the  necessity  of  passing  a  rapid  to  reach  it,  evidently  referring  to  Lake 
George  and  the  falls  in  its  outlet.  At  this  point  of  the  narrative,  following  the 
word  "  rapid  "  is  injected  the  dubious  and  ambiguous  phrase  "  which  I  afterwards 
saw."  It  is  principally  from  connecting  this  phrase  with  the  statement  that  Cham- 
plain pursued  the  Iroquois  into  the  forest  after  the  battle  that  some  writers,  deeming 
it  conclusive  that  he  saw  the  rapid  or  falls  on  this  voyage,  have  located  the  site 
near  Ticonderoga.  But  the  phrase  is  too  indefinite  and  uncertain  in  both  its  mean- 
ing and  the  time  to  which  it  refers,  and  its  connection  with  the  circumstance  of  the 
pursuit  too  doubtful  to  support  the  inference  that  the  battle  afterward  described  in 
his  narrative  took  place  at  or  near  Fort  Ticonderoga.  He  began  his  return  a  few 
hours  later  on  the  same  day,  stopping  for  the  Indians  to  feast,  dance  and  gather 
up  the  spoils  of  battle.  In  the  pursuit  he  killed  several  Indians  with  his  arquebuse. 
But  handicapped  with  his  armor  and  heavy  weapon  and  the  necessity  of  stopping 
to  reload  it,  the  pursuit  of  the  fleet-footed  Indian  with  such  havoc  could  not  have 
been  far  from  the  point  of  retreat.  Manifestly,  it  was  not  far  from  the  shore  — 
certainly  not  so  far  as  the  Ticonderoga  Falls.  Under  the  circumstances  we  would 
hardly  expect  him  to  go  so  far  into  the  home  land  of  the  vsaly  enemy  as  to  incur 
the  risk  of  being  cut  off  with  his  meagre  force  from  his  canoes  and  only  means 
of  safety. 

In  describing  the  place  of  meeting  the  Iroquois  in  their  canoes,  he  refers  to  it 
as  "  the  end  of  a  cape  that  projects  into  the  lake  on  the  west  side."  There  are 
only  two  points  of  land  on  the  "  west  side  "  —  Crown  Point  and  Willsborough 
Point,  that  answer  such  a  description,  or  that  we  might  reasonably  expect,  on  a 
shore   of   many  jutting  points,   would   be   designated   as   a   cape   by   this   careful 


128  State  of  New  York 


geographer  of  the  king,  evidently  mindful  of  the  latter's  injunction  to  bring  back  a 
truthful  report.  It  is  conceded  that  Willsborough  Point  is  an  impossible  location. 
The  latitude  given  by  Champlain  is  not  exact  —  "  43  degrees  and  some  minutes." 
But  as  due  allowance  must  be  made  for  his  uncertain  instrument  of  calculation  as 
shown  by  his  computations  at  various  other  points  on  his  voyages  —  its  markings 
so  far  varying  from  the  true  standard  as  not  to  designate  accurately  any  place 
within  so  short  a  distance  as  separates  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  the  latitude 
given  is  inconclusive  of  the  question. 

But  Champlain  has  left  one  striking  piece  of  evidence  on  the  subject  —  the  now 
familiar  picture  of  the  battle,  which  represents  him  on  a  shore  at  the  left  of  the 
Iroquois. 

As  stated  by  others,  it  is  incredible  that  he  would  place  himself  to  the  south  of 
the  enemy  and  thus  between  them  and  their  own  country.  If  he  landed  to  the 
north  of  the  enemy  whence  he  came,  as  he  naturally  would  have  done  to  prevent 
being  cut  off  in  case  of  retreat,  then  to  have  water  west  of  him,  as  indicated  in  the 
drawing,  he  must  necessarily  have  been  on  the  western  shore  of  the  so-called  cape. 
CrovkTi  Point  and  Willsborough  Point  are  the  only  points  on  the  western  shore 
of  the  lake  which  admit  of  such  a  position.  If  the  position  was  taken  on  a  north 
shore  then  he  was  east  of  the  enemy,  and  again  CrowTi  Point  is  the  only  cape  or 
point  which  presents  a  shore  for  such  a  situation. 

We  have  the  strongest  historic  evidence,  therefore,  that  we  stand  on  the  same 
soil  upon  which  Champlain  himself  set  foot  three  hundred  years  ago;  and  we  may 
safely  say  that  yonder  near  the  northwest  corner  of  this  cape  "  that  projects  into 
the  lake  on  the  west  side"  is  where  the  Algonquins  met  the  Iroquois;  that  near 
there  they  floated  in  their  canoes  awaiting  the  dawn  for  the  battle;  that  either  on  the 
west  or  the  north  side  of  this  cape  it  was  fought;  that  there  those  plumed  chiefs 
fell  before  the  white  man's  weapon,  and  there  the  report  of  gunpowder  was  first 
heard  by  the  Iroquois  and  woke  their  undying  hatred  for  the  French  nation. 

When  we  consider  that  the  Iroquois  carried  their  implacable  hatred  for  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half  and  became  powerful  allies  of  the  English  in  the  war  that  stripped 
France  of  her  American  possessions,  and  that  largely  through  their  hostility  then 
provoked  this  land  passed  under  the  dominion  of  the  new  Saxon  instead  of  the 
new  Gaul,  we  are  forced  to  realize  that  we  stand  near  the  spot  of  an  event  which 
exerted  a  conspicuous  influence  in  shaping  the  destiny  of  a  new  world.  Little 
could  Champlain  have  foreseen  that  his  participation  in  that  apparently  insignificant 
battle  would  perpetuate  a  hatred  against  his  nation  that  a  century  and  a  half  later 
would  operate  to  drive  it  from  American  soil.  Little  did  he  know  that  on  the  very 
spot  where  his  clumsy  arquebuse  \VTOUght  that  fatal  victory  would  be  the  border  line 
of  contest  for  the  mastery  of  the  continent.     Little  could  he  have  divined  that  here 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  129 


in  quick  succession  of  events  his  nation  would  stand  against  her  inveterate  foe  only 
to  retreat  and  surrender  at  last  her  continental  possessions,  and  that  the  victor  in 
turn  would  be  compelled  to  relinquish  its  grasp  to  the  sons  of  liberty  and  the  makers 
of  a  new  nation.  But  if  he  could  not  look  forward  to  us,  we,  who  have  become 
the  beneficiaries  of  his  discovery  and  intervening  events,  may  fittingly  look  back 
to  him  and  them. 

Here  then,  of  all  places  on  this  lake,  where  he  gave  it  his  illustrious  name, 
should  be  erected  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  this  great  explorer,  who  more  than 
any  other  of  his  time  was  actuated  by  a  worthy  zeal  for  state  and  religion. 

Another  century  had  passed  before  Crown  Point  again  loomed  up  in  history. 
The  French  were  extending  their  outposts  southward  and  the  English  were  advanc- 
ing theirs  northward.  The  "  door  of  the  country,"  as  the  Indian  called  the  lake, 
was  again  opened  by  the  French ;  and  it  is  here  again  the  Frenchman  made  his 
landing  and  in  the  erection  of  Fort  St.  Frederic  in  1731  established  his  seat  of 
power  on  the  lake.  Yonder  are  its  ruins,  a  heap  of  stone  and  earth,  made  more 
complete  with  the  ravages  of  time,  but  left  as  such  by  the  French  when  deserted 
for  a  last  stand  on  the  heights  of  Quebec. 

The  lines  of  its  ramparts  are  still  discernible.  On  that  little  bluff  where  its  walls 
rose  straight  from  the  shore  we  may  take  our  stand  and  in  retrospect  contemplate 
in  its  erection  the  assertion  of  French  sovereignty  and  the  challenge  of  English 
pretension.  There  we  may  readily  call  the  names  of  the  illustrious  dead  connected 
with  its  history;  of  Beauharnois,  who  selected  this  strategic  position  and  named  it 
after  the  French  secretary  of  state;  of  Dieskau,  who  later  strengthened  its  fortifi- 
cations and  moved  his  forces  on  to  the  bloody  encounters  with  Williams  and 
Lyman  between  Fort  Edward  and  Lake  George;  of  Montcalm,  who  occupied  it 
with  the  soldiery  of  France  and  moved  on  to  old  Carillon;  of  Abercromby,  who 
made  a  fatal  attempt  to  reach  it;  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  who  made  his  fruitless 
expedition  against  it;  of  Bourlamaque,  who  on  his  flight  to  the  north  stopped  to 
sigh  over  its  departing  glory  and  left  it  in  flames  and  ruins;  of  Rogers,  who 
approached  with  his  rangers  to  grasp  the  prize  and  found  it  a  devastation;  and  of 
Amherst,  who  later  followed  on  to  erect  a  new  fort  and  from  it  moved  on  to  the 
walls  of  Montreal  and  victory. 

The  high  tower  stored  with  cannon,  the  little  church  where  assembled  for  mass 
the  soldiers  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  settlements  about  a  half  mile  to  the 
southwest  and  across  the  lake  on  Chimney  Point;  the  thick  walls  of  limestone 
quarried  back  from  the  shore,  all  have  crumbled  into  dust  or  disappeared  beneath 
the  sod.  Time  has  closed  the  covered  way  to  the  lake,  open  even  in  my  father's 
boyhood,  and  removed  all  signs  of  the  mighty  trench  that  encircled  it.  No  trace 
is  left  of  the  old  windmill  constructed  to  serve  as  a  redoubt  on  a  point  to  the  east. 
10 


130  State  of  New  York 


A  few  flagstones  till  recently  showed  where  the  villagers  trod,  and  all  that  remains 
of  the  chimneys  that  long  marked  the  vanished  settlement  on  the  opposite  point,  is 
the  name  they  gave  it. 

As  we  draw  the  picture  of  the  past  on  this  lonely  spot  where  now  graze  the 
flocks  of  the  peaceable  farmer,  while  we  feel  a  touch  of  sympathy  for  the  nation 
that  seemingly  earned  dominion  by  methods  and  with  motives  that  entitled  her 
claims  to  fairest  consideration,  we  cannot  but  rejoice  that  the  grandeur  and  the 
cruelty  of  military  conquest  have  given  way  to  the  peaceful  scene  of  the  twentieth 
centurj'. 

While  the  tide  of  warfare  had  surged  up  and  down  the  lake  with  many  preda- 
tory and  sanguinary  excursions  directed  against  both  French  and  English  frontiers 
and  many  movements  of  armies  up  and  down  this  shore,  and  while  this,  the  most 
strategic  location  south  of  Quebec,  became  the  seat  of  French  power  on  the  lake 
and  the  objective  point  of  English  campaigns,  yet  the  battles  of  that  period  were 
fought  elsewhere,  and  just  a  century  and  a  half  ago  the  French  left  it  in  ruins 
and  forever. 

Then  began  the  third  stage  of  Crown  Point's  history  —  possession  by  the 
English  and  the  erection  of  Amherst's  fort  at  the  enormous  cost  of  two  million 
pounds  sterling.  It  rises  before  us  in  splendid  ruins,  a  forceful  reminder  not  only 
of  English  conquest  but  of  English  defeat.  Here  we  may  contemplate  other 
scenes.  England  has  strengthened  her  frontier.  The  French  have  ceded  their 
possessions  in  America.  The  shot  has  been  fired  that  was  "  heard  round  the 
world."  England  is  in  a  fight  to  maintain  her  colonial  possessions.  The  seeds  of 
English  institutions  have  taken  root  in  America.  Independence  has  been  given  a 
motive  and  soon  will  be  a  fact.  We  may  now  stand  on  the  ramparts  of  old 
Amherst  and  call  another  roll. 

Let  us  hope  that  the  spirits  of  the  mighty  heroes  who  once  stood  within  those 
walls,  muster  before  us  as  we  call  their  names  in  the  order  in  which  history  assigns 
them  to  its  moving  events. 

Seth  Warner,  who  with  a  band  of  Green  Mountain  boys  made  its  first  and 
bloodless  capture;  Remember  Baker,  who  with  another  band  quickly  joined  the 
forces  here;  Ethan  Allen,  who  fresh  from  the  laurels  of  Ticonderoga  started  from 
here  on  that  rash  expedition  against  Montreal  and  into  British  chains;  Richard 
Montgomery,  who  embarked  from  here  for  victory  at  St.  Johns  and  Montreal  and 
heroic  death  at  Quebec ;  Benedict  Arnold,  who  set  out  from  here  with  his 
improvised  fleets  and  returned  here  from  those  famous  naval  engagements;  John 
Trumbull,  who  looked  with  pity  on  the  sick  and  emaciated  troops  brought  back 
here  by  Arnold  from  that  disastrous  Canadian  campaign  to  suffering  and  for- 
gotten graves;  Carleton,  who  sweeping  after  Arnold  held  it  for  a  short  time  only 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  131 


to  retreat  again;  Gates,  to  whom  its  command  was  assigned  with  Ticonderoga 
before  Burgoyne  came  up  the  lake  scattering  terror  along  its  shores;  and  Burgoyne, 
last  to  make  military  use  of  it,  when  his  reduced  army  returned  from  Saratoga  and 
defeat.  What  names,  many  of  these,  with  which  to  conjure  the  spirit  of  freedom. 
They  cannot  answer.  But  I  think  I  catch  a  response  to  some  of  those  names  in 
the  hearts  of  their  grateful  countrymen.  The  story  of  many  of  their  exploits  were 
first  told  within  those  walls,  and  to-day  they  give  back  the  story.  They  tell  of 
soldier  and  savage,  of  the  bitter  contest  between  two  civilizations  for  control  of  a 
continent,  and  of  the  struggle  for  the  independence  whose  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
third  anniversary  we  celebrate  to-day  beneath  them.  It  is  fitting  that  this  old 
fort  should  then  have  passed  out  of  history,  and  this  occasion  ought  not  to  go  by 
without  the  suggestion  that  a  grateful  people  should  protect  from  further  ruin  this 
best  preserved  relic  of  the  "  times  that  stirred  men's  souls."  True,  it  witnessed  no 
battle,  but  more  than  once  in  the  great  struggle  invading  forces  compelled  its 
exchange  of  sovereignty. 

It  is  a  perishable  heritage  of  an  age  gone  by,  but  the  principles  it  was  employed 
to  establish  will  endure  forever.  It  sheltered  many  a  hero  of  that  last  great  struggle 
of  which  it  remains  an  inspiring  monument;  and  we  who  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their 
valorous  deeds  should  see  to  it  that  it  shall  continue  to  carry  on  their  lessons  to 
future  generations. 

The  tomahawk  has  been  buried,  the  old  musket  stored  as  a  relic,  and  the  sword 
beaten  into  the  ploughshare.  The  forest  has  been  supplanted  by  the  farm  and  the 
only  fleets  on  the  quiet  waters  of  the  lake  are  those  of  commerce  and  pleasure. 
The  warrior  has  gone  and  peace  and  freedom  have  come,  but  not  without  tremen- 
dous struggles  the  history  of  which  cannot  well  be  WTitten  and  leave  out  Crown 
Point. 

As  we  take  a  parting  glance  at  these  ruins,  consecrated  to  the  memories  we 
here  invoke,  as  the  panorama  of  events  that  have  passed  in  front  of  this  spot  for 
three  centuries  slip  back  into  history,  we  cannot  but  be  grateful  that  the  "  door  of 
the  country"  has  seemingly  forever  closed  to  warfare;  that  the  savage  visits  us 
in  the  garb  of  civilization,  that  Gaul  and  Saxon  are  in  amity  and  peace,  and  out 
of  all  that  was  fierce  and  barbarous,  grand  and  pathetic,  has  risen  a  nation  that 
offers  a  home  to  the  descendants  of  all  who  then  met  in  conflict  with  the  assurance 
of  the  fullest  liberty  and  opportunity  enjoyed  by  man  anywhere  on  the  face  of 
earth. 


132  State  of  New  York 

The  next  feature  of  the  programme  was  the  following  poem  by  Clinton 
Scollard : 

SONG  FOR  THE  TERCENTENARY  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN. 

Poem  by  Clinton  Scollard. 

(Copyrighted  by  the  Author  and  reprinted  by  his  special  permission.) 

Midsummer —  and  the  world  a  full-blown  flower. 

This  wide  new  world  as  virgin  as  its  sod; 
As  wondrous  seemed  it  that  unfolding  hour 

As  did  the  blossoms  upon  Aaron's  rod! 

That  distant  hour  when  first  his  falcon  eyes 
Gazed  on  this  far  out-rolling  inland  main, — 

A  flawless  jewel  under  flawless  skies, — 

The  knightly-hearted,  valorous  De  Champlain. 

No  man  of  pomp,  no  silken  courtier  he. 

No  selfish  grasper  after  Glory's  star. 
But  one  who  wore  undimmed  the  fleur  de  Us 

Like  his  brave  patron,  Henry  of  Navarre! 

Bred  where  Biscayan  gales  fling  up  the  brine. 

His  look  was  level  as  a  couched  lance, 
A  valiant  son  of  that  intrepid  line 

Which  gave  fair  lustre  to  the  fame  of  France. 

Roland  and  Bayard! — he  was  kin  to  these; 

Swerved  he  no  more  than  magnet   from  the  pols 
As    forth   he   sailed   upon   the   uncharted   seas 

With  dreams  of  high  adventure  in  his  soul. 

WTiat  foes  he  faced,  what  dangers  dread  he  dared, — 

Patient  in  peace,  in  war  unwavering! 
Unmoved  he  toiled,  unmurmuring  he   fared. 

Like  saintly  Louis,  the  beloved  king. 

Since  then  the  Great  Recorder  of  the  Days 
Thousands  has  scrolled  upon  his  golden  book. 

Yet  still  a  sheet  of  shimmering  chrysoprase 

The   great  lake  spread   for  whomsoe'er   may   look. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  133 


Behind  the  peaks  that  panoply  the  west 

Still  burn  the  sunsets  like  a  mighty   forge; 

Still,  with  its  voice  of  wandering  unrest. 

The  swift  Ausable  rushes  through  its  gorge. 

Slope  capping  slope  the  awakening  east  along, 

Vermont's  broad  ranges  show  their  emerald  dye; 

And  still,  their  meadows  opulent  with  song 
And  glad  with  grain,  the  Hero  Islands  lie. 

Across  the  water,  as  it  breaks  or  broods, 
In  twilight  purple,  or  in  dawning  gold, 

Majestic   from  their  airy   altitudes 

Mansfield  and  White  Face  signal  as  of  old. 

For  howsoe'er  man's  genius  bares  or  drapes. 

Or  cleaves  or  curbs  by  frowning  height  or  shore. 

Nature's   sequestered   elemental   shapes 
Preserve  their  primal  grandeur  evermore! 

Grandeur  and  beauty! — here  the  twain  combine. 
Clothing   the   landscape  with   a  varied   veil; 

And  while  before  our  eyes  their  splendors  shine 
Let  the  grave  Muse  of  History  breathe  her  tale! 

Sea  of  the  Iroquois!      This  was  the  path 

Of  those  swart  braves  whose  story  casts  a  spell. 

Who  cut  a  swath  of  ruin  and  of  wrath 

Where'er  in  stealth  their  vengeful   footsteps   fell. 

As  wise  as  wary  they!     Yon  shadowy  cove 

Once  caught  the  glimmer  of  their  council-flames; 

And  yonder,  in  that  dim  primeval  grove. 
They  lurked  to  gain  their  sanguinary  aims. 

Then  came  Champlain  and  gallant  Frontenac, 

As  daring  as   the   keen   conquistador. 
And  ever,  where  they  voyaged,  upon  their  track 

Trailed,  like  a  banner,  the  black  smoke  of  war. 


134  State  of  New  York 


England  and  France!   the  vision  will  not  pale; — 
The   lilied  oriflamme,   the   double  cross; 
'  Saint  George!  "  and  "  Saint  Denis!  " —  adown  the  gale 
Surge  upon  surge  the  cries  of  conflict  toss. 

Ticonderoga    felt   the   bloody   brunt, 

And  grizzly  cannon  roared  their  deafening  psalm. 
When  Abercrombie  flung  his  fearless  front 

Upon  the  bristling  bastions  of  Montcalm. 

Another   thrilling   scene   that    fortress   knew 

When,   ere  the  Maytime  morning's  earliest  glow. 

Bold  Ethan  Allen  and  his  fearless  few 

Seized  its  embattled  walls  without  a  blow. 

Still  can  we  hear  him ; —  In  the  gray  hght  see 
The  firm-set  features  of  his  mountain  boys; 
'  Up  with  your  firelocks,  you  who'll  follow  me  I 
And  every  soldier  held  his  gun  at  poise. 

Here  Arnold  strove, —  (alas,  the  later  hour 

That  stained   a  patriot  name   aforetime  pure!) 

WTielmed,  yet  undaunted,  by  the  foeman's  power 
Beneath  thy  coppiced  headlands,  green  Valcour ! 

With  triumph  vision,  on  exultant   feet. 

Here  passed  Burgoyne  and  his  imposing  train 

To  that  grim  day  of  desperate  defeat. 
On  Saratoga's  memorable  plain. 

And  here  Macdonough,  prince  of  sailors  he. 
Resting  his  cause  with  the  Almighty  Will, 

Hewed  a  red  path  to  fame  and  victory 

While  from  the  shrouds  a  game-cock  darioned  shrill. 

Ah,  pageant  of  the  past!  the  trump,  the  fife. 

The  reeling  shock  of  arms,  to-day  are  banned; 

Down  closing  vistas  fade  the  stress  and  strife; 
Now  concord  reigns,  fair  Gateway  of  the  Land! 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  135 


Three  hundred  years!      How  wide  a  space  of  time. 
Yet  we  may  cross  it  on  the  Bridge  of  Dream, 

And  very  real,  though  none  the  less  sublime. 
Transcendent  figures  such  as  Shakespere  seem! 

The  great  are  not  remote.  The  statures  loom. 
Although  they  lie  in  moss-encrusted  graves; 

So  view  we  him  who,  with  the  year  at  bloom. 
Here  led  to  battle  his  Algonquin  braves. 

Stanch  De  Champlain!  he  of  the  questing  soul 
And  the  impetuous  heart! — ah,  who  shall  say 

If  he  beheld  not  back  the  lustrums  roll 
With  revelations  of  our  broader  day? 

For  his  we  know  was  the  unleashed  surmise. 
The  lofty  impulse,  the  inspiring  thought. 

Yet  must  we  doubt  if  his  presaging  eyes 

Divined  the  wonders  that  mankind  has  wrought. 

His  fragile  shallop  —  'tis  a  steam-sped  barque  1 
His    forest   torch — 'tis   an   electric   globe! 

A  touch,    and   lo,   an   emanating   spark 
As  surely  fatal  as  was  Nessus'  robe! 

Speech  flies  through  space  as  though  on  spirit  wings; 

We  dive  beneath  the  sea;  we  cleave  the  air; 
Beyond  the  portal  of  what  unseen  things 

May  not  to-morrow's  new  explorers  fare! 

And  yet  the  old  —  the  dauntless  De  Champlains!  — 
Let  us  be  mindful  of  the  debt  we  owe! 

A  splendid   ichor  coursed   along  their  veins; 

They  quailed  nor  faltered  whatsoe'er  the  blow! 

Meagre  their  tools,  and  starveling  were  their  aids. 
Yet  mark  the  marvel  of  their  fruitful  deeds! — 

On  verdured  banks,   in   fertile-bosomed  glades. 
We  reap  the  harvest  where  they  sowed  the  seeds. 


136  State  of  New  York 

Then  hail  them,  heroes  of  an  elder  hour! 

Death's  mandate  only  bade  their  struggles  cease; 
Still  be  their  memory  as  a  fadeless  flower 

As  inarch  the  centuries  toward  the  Bourne  of  Peace! 

During  the  afternoon,  the  Tenth  Regiment,  National  Guard,  of  New 
York,  which  had  been  encamped  at  Crown  Point  for  more  than  a  week, 
was  reviewed  by  Governor  Hughes.  At  evening  he  and  the  other  guests 
and  the  Commissioners  left  for  Fort  Ticonderoga.  Many  spectators 
remained  to  witness  the  evening  performance  of  the  Indian  pageants, 
under  the  direction  of  L.  O.  Armstrong,  and  to  see  the  display  of  lire- 
works. 


H 


o 


H 


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q: 


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IV.  TUESDAY.  JULY  6:  AT  TICONDEROGA 

137 


IV.  TUESDAY.  JULY  6:  AT  TICONDEROGA 

ON  Tuesday,  the  scene  of  the  celebration  shifted  to  Ticonderoga. 
Heavy  rain  in  the  morning  threatened  to  prove  a  serious  drawback 
to  the  enjoyment  of  the  day,  but  by  noon  the  sun  appeared  and  the 
programme  was  happily  carried  out  as  planned.  President  Taft,  the 
French  and  British  Ambassadors,  and  other  distinguished  guests  arrived 
by  special  train  from  the  south.  Soon  after  reaching  Fort  Ticonderoga  the 
President  and  party  were  met  by  Commissioner  Howland  Pell,  Captain 
Stephen  H.  P.  Pell  and  Colonel  Robert  M.  Thompson,  and  escorted 
through  the  ruins  of  the  old  stronghold,  taking  note  of  the  work  of 
restoration  which  had  been  begun.  The  President  and  the  other  guests 
were  reminded  alike  by  the  ruined  walls  and  by  numerous  ancient 
cannon  newly  set  up  in  the  bastions  that  here  was  a  spot  of  paramount 
importance  in  the  American  annals  alike  of  France  and  of  Great  Britain. 
In  the  fort  grounds  the  visitors  viewed  with  interest  the  remains  of  the 
Revenge,  a  warship  of  the  Revolution  sunk  just  off  the  Ticonderoga 
shore  and  raised  the  preceding  winter  for  preservation  in  the  grounds  of 
the  restored  fort. 

The  morning  hours  had  been  devoted  to  a  military  review  and  sham 
battle  along  the  old  French  lines,  and  at  noon  to  lunch,  which  was  served 
to  the  principal  guests  on  the  steamer  Ticonderoga.  At  one  o'clock  the 
literary  exercises  of  the  day  were  held,  the  speakers  occupying  a  grand 
stand  in  the  grounds  of  the  fort.  President  Taft  and  party  throughout 
the  day  were  the  especial  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephen  H.  P.  Pell 
and  of  Mrs.  Pell's  father,  Col.  Robert  M.  Thompson.  After  the  day's 
exercises,  the  President  and  party  were  taken  by  steamer  to  Port  Henry 
and  thence  by  a  special  train  to  Plattsburgh. 

At  Ticonderoga  village,  on  this  day,  was  held  a  local  celebration  with 
many  interesting  Franco-American  features.  At  an  early  hour,  high 
mass  was  celebrated  at  St.  Peter's  Catholic  Church.     In  the  afternoon 

139 


140  State  of  New  York 

there  was  a  procession  including  floats  representing  scenes  in  the  Hfe  of 
Champlain  and  in  the  local  history.  The  day  before  a  reproduction  of 
the  cross  which  had  been  set  up  by  Montcalm  on  July  9,  1  758,  to  cele- 
brate his  victory  over  the  British  general,  Abercromby,  had  been  raised 
by  the  Ticonderoga  Historical  Society  with  impressive  ceremonies. 

The  French  and  British  Ambassadors  found  the  region  of  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga of  extraordinary  interest,  so  rich  is  it  in  associations  and  reminders 
of  the  early  American  campaigns  of  both  nations.  Here  in  1  755  was 
first  erected  the  French  fortress  of  Carillon,  one  of  the  chief  strongholds 
of  France  in  America ;  here,  in  July,  1 758,  Montcalm's  four  thousand 
Frenchmen  defeated  Abercromby's  troops  numbering  fifteen  thousand; 
here  a  year  later  General  Amherst  captured  the  fort  and  caused  the 
French  to  retire  even  to  Quebec.  From  that  year  of  1  759  the  restored 
and  reconstructed  fort  has  borne  the  name  of  Ticonderoga.  Then,  in 
the  years  of  the  American  Revolution,  came  the  episode  of  its  capture 
by  Ethan  Allen  and  his  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and  finally,  in  July, 
1  777,  Burgoyne's  successful  investment  of  it,  his  fortification  of  Mount 
Defiance  and  the  evacuation  of  the  fortification  and  its  defenses.  These 
and  other  episodes  were  constantly  recalled  and  formed  the  theme  for 
patriotic  reminiscences  and  discussion  throughout  the  day. 

At  the  formal  literary  exercises  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill  presided  and 
in  introducing  the  speakers  of  the  afternoon  made  the  following  remairks: 

Introduction  by  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill 

Governor  HuGHES,  Governor  Prouty,  Members  of  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  NeTV  York,  Members  of  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commission, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  We  are  met  In  one  of  the  most  historic  places  of  the 
Champlain  valley,  as  well  as  of  America,  to  participate  in  the  celebration  exercises 
of  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  by  Samuel 
Champlain,  in  the  month  of  July,  1 609.  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  New 
York,  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Vermont,  the  Legislature  of  New  York, 
the  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commissions  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  and  many 
other  distinguished  citizens  of  the  two  States  and  of  the  Nation,  soon  to  be  honored 
by  the  presence  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  the  French  Ambassador,  the 
British  Ambassador,  and  other  distinguished  guests  from  foreign  countries,  are  in 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  141 

attendance  and  constitute  the  most  distinguished  civic  assemblage  ever  convened  in 
this  beautiful  valley,  enriched  as  it  is  by  historic  associations  of  colonial,  national 
and  international  events  of  vital  importance  in  shaping  the  sovereignty  of  this 
entire  territory,  and  the  policy  and  character  of  American  institutions.  Through 
this  valley  surged  the  tides  of  war  and  travel  for  more  than  200  years,  until  every 
prominent  point  and  important  island  in  this  picturesque  lake  were  marked  by  some 
notable  event  worthy  of  historic  mention.  Its  romantic  Indian  names  "  Peta-wa- 
bouque,"  meaning  "  alternate  land  and  water,"  and  "  Caniaderi-guarunte,"  meaning 
"  gateway  of  the  country,"  together  with  its  French  name  "  Mer  des  Iroquois," 
reveal  its  historic  significance  — 

"  When  first  the  pale-face  from  the  distant  sea 
Brought  hither  conquering  cross  and  fleur-de-lis." 

This  celebration  will  commemorate  the  discovery  of  this  beautiful  lake,  as  well 
as  many  of  the  important  events  occuring  in  the  Champlain  valley. 

The  most  important  of  these  cluster  about  Ticonderoga,  the  stronghold  of  three 
successive  sovereign  nations  —  now  happily  in  friendly  accord  —  whose  military 
leaders  here  achieved  imperishable  fame.  In  and  about  this  impregnable  fortress, 
whose  ruins  we  visit  to-day,  and  which  are  being  rebuilt  by  the  Pell  family,  in 
whom  the  title  thereto  has  been  held  most  of  the  time  since  the  Revolution,  the 
"  flower  of  contending  armies  "  struggled  for  supremacy  and  the  control  of  this 
"  Gateway  of  the  Country."  The  memories  awakened  by  these  associations  can- 
not fail  to  arouse  in  us  patriotic  impulses  and  be  an  inspiration  to  generations  yet 
unborn. 

The  historic  achievement  of  Arnold  at  Valcour  electrified  the  Continental  Con- 
gress; and  the  triumphant  victory  of  Macdonough  in  Cumberland  Bay  thrilled 
the  hearts  of  the  people  of  this  growing  and  now  "  noble  and  puissant  "  nation 
with  genuine  patriotic  motives,  and  made  Lake  Champlain  famous  in  two  great 
wars  for  the  sovereign  control  of  the  territory  now  comprising  the  United  States. 

Its  picturesqueness  has  been  the  theme  of  poets  for  many  generations,  who  have 
likened  its  beautiful  bays  unto  that  of  Baiae,  its  shimmering  waters  unto  those  of 
Como  and  its  mountain  scenery  and  beautiful  islands  unto  those  of  Maggiore.  Its 
many  historic  places  and  beautiful  scenery  will  be  visited  during  this  celebration 
by  thousands  of  the  people  of  this  and  other  countries,  and  happy  are  we,  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  State  of  New  York,  in  formally  participating  in  the  exercises  in 
commemoration  of  the  discovery  of  the  one  lake,  which  Samuel  Champlain,  fresh 
from  the  Court  of  Henry  IV,  singled  out  as  worthy  to  bear  his  name. 

I  now  have  the  pleasure  and  the  honor  of  presenting  His  Excellency,  Charles 
Evans  Hughes,  the  Governor  of  New  York,  who  will  address  you.      (Applause.) 


142  State  of  New  York 

Governor  Hughes  was  greeted  with  the  heartiest  applause,  long  con- 
tinued.   He  spoke  as  follows: 

Governor  Hughes  at  Ticonderoga 

Mr.  Chairman,  Governor  Prouty,  Gentlemen  of  ihe  Legislature,  Fellow  Citi- 
zens: You  are  to  have  the  pleasure  of  listening  this  afternoon  to  one  of  America's 
foremost  writers  and  orators,  who,  with  the  charm  of  felicitous  expression,  will  tell 
you  the  story  of  Lake  Champlain.  We  also  are  honored  by  the  visit  to  this  Stale, 
in  connection  with  these  ceremonies,  of  the  distinguished  Governor  of  Vermont 
(applause),  who  will  briefly  address  you.  Later  we  shall  forget  for  the  moment 
our  feelings  of  intense  pride  in  the  respective  commonwealths  of  New  York  and 
Vermont,  while  we  welcome  to  this  historic  scene  the  man  who  represents  the 
entire  people  of  this  favored  country,  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
(Applause.) 

It  is  not  for  me  to  detain  you  with  any  formal  address,  or  to  attempt  in  the  few 
moments  in  which  I  shall  speak  any  adequate  statement  of  the  interest  which  thrills 
us  all  to-day.  This  is  the  place  of  romance,  this  is  the  scene  of  conflict,  a  spot 
dear  to  every  intelligent  American.  We  are  not  a  cynical  people;  we  are  not 
controlled  by  materialistic  impulses.  On  the  contrary,  every  American  is  filled  with 
delight,  as  he  reads  the  story  of  the  procession  of  great  events  which  culminated  in 
the  foundation  of  the  Republic,  which,  above  all  things  material,  we  love  because 
of  the  ideals  that  it  represents.  Every  school  boy  to-day  is  taking  fresh  interest 
in  his  study  of  American  history  because  of  the  narrative  of  the  exploits  that  this 
lake  has  seen.  And  throughout  the  breadth  and  length  of  the  States  which  border 
this  scene  of  conflict,  this  lake  of  charm  and  poetry,  there  will  be  in  all  citizens  a 
new  interest  in  our  great  country,  new  inspiration  for  the  ordeals  and  tasks  of 
ordinary  life,  new  determination  that  we  may  be  worthy  descendants  of  those  who 
here  finally  conquered  and  here  laid  the  foundations  of  the  nation. 

What  events  have  happened  here!  There  is  no  place  on  this  continent  so  full 
of  interest,  both  in  legend  and  in  fact  that  is  stronger  than  fiction  —  in  history  that 
has  a  charm  about  it  that  no  story  can  rival.  We  are  interested  first  in  the  dis- 
covery of  this  lake  by  the  white  man.  Nothing  to  me  has  ever  seemed  so  wonder- 
ful as  this  great  land,  waiting  age  after  age  while  thrones  were  being  established 
only  to  fall,  and  dynasties  were  succeeding  each  other  in  the  Old  World.  Here 
was  this  vast  continent  silent,  alone,  unknown,  peopled  by  savages,  filled  with  riches, 
waiting  with  its  benediction  for  the  most  favored  of  mankind.  The  thought  of 
the  discoverer,  coming  for  the  first  time  through  Lake  Champlain,  is  one  which  in 
interest  and  in  the  suggestion  of  romance  cannot  be  equalled  in  any  of  the  retro- 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  143 


spections  of  history.  But  we  pass  quickly  beyond  the  discovery,  for  that  was 
interesting  only  as  a  prelude  —  only  because  of  the  significance  we  attach  to  the 
opening  of  this  gateway  to  a  new  world ;  we  go  beyond  the  discovery  to  the  rivalries 
of  the  nations.  We  see  New  France  contesting  for  pre-eminence,  we  see  England 
asserting  its  authority  and  establishing  works  which  it  deemed  would  secure  to  it 
the  permanent  control  of  this  great  country,  and  the  thought  to  us  all  as  Americans 
is  that  the  crowning  achievement  was  the  conclusive  victory  of  the  Colonial  Army, 
and  the  fact  that  after  a  long  period  of  conflict  we  were  ushered  into  the  peace 
of  independence  and  freedom.      (Applause.) 

But  in  a  moment,  important  as  are  these  events  marking  epochs  in  the  world's 
history,  marking  the  transfer  of  national  power  over  a  large  portion  of  the  New 
World  —  yet  so  idealistic  are  we,  so  interested  are  we  in  humanity,  so  intense  is  our 
interest  in  the  revelation  of  the  fine  qualities  of  manhood  —  we  forget  the  mere  event 
of  the  discovery  itself,  we  pass  by  the  mere  stories  of  battles  and  the  tales  of  national 
struggle,  we  even  pass  by  the  mere  fact  of  the  assertion  of  independence  and  the 
achievement  of  victory  for  the  cause  of  the  Colonies,  in  our  thought  of  the  men,  the 
splendid  specimens  of  France  and  of  England  and  of  the  New  World,  the  scene 
of  whose  finest  exploits  is  this  historic  spot.  We  forget  the  discovery  in  the  discov- 
erer, and  we  honor  to-day  not  simply  a  man  who,  by  virtue  of  his  being  the  first 
to  come  here  has  had  his  name  linked  with  this  lake  of  transcendent  beauty,  but 
one  of  the  finest  representatives  of  the  Old  World,  and  we  pay  tribute  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Samuel  Champlain,  because  of  his  personal  bravery  and  strength  of 
character.  (Applause.)  There  was  a  man  of  the  Old  World  whom  the  children 
of  the  New  World  might  well  copy.  There  was  a  soldier,  who  after  the  stress  of 
his  campaigns  did  not  wish  for  the  idleness  of  Paris  or  the  pleasures  of  the  French 
Court.  For  him  the  world  was  a  world  for  heroic  deeds,  and  the  only  man  who  was 
fortunate  was  the  man  who  could  take  part  in  some  momentous  action.  He  felt 
within  him  the  capacity  to  do  something  worth  while  in  a  world  where  much  was  to 
be  done,  and  he  took  advantage  of  the  favor  of  his  sovereign  only  to  give  himself 
the  chance  to  court  the  dangers  of  his  repeated  expeditions. 

There  are  four  men  whose  names  and  memories  are  associated  with  this  spot, 
and  each  one  of  the  four  was  an  honor  to  his  race,  a  man  who  may  well  serve  as. 
a  pattern  for  the  men  of  all  nations.      (Applause.) 

I  have  spoken  of  Champlain.  Now  let  us  go  forward  1 50  years.  We  are 
to-day  celebrating  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Champlain.  The 
days  of  the  French  occupation  and  of  the  establishment  of  Fort  Carillon  seem 
far  remote,  but  they  were  as  far  in  advance  of  the  day  of  Champlain's  first  visit 
as  they  are  remote  from  us,  marking  the  half-way  house  in  the  path  of  historical 
development.     Champlain,   1609,  Fort  Carillon,   1755.     And  here  again  France 


144  State  of  New  York 


sent  one  of  the  noblest  of  its  souls.  How  we  love  to  find  in  the  warrior  the  man  of 
gentleness  and  sympathy,  the  man  of  kindly  heart  and  generous  disposition!  How 
easily  the  horrors  of  war  are  forgotten  because  there  have  been  revealed  in  the 
midst  of  them  the  nobility  of  true  greatness.  Such  was  Montcalm.  (Applause.) 
Descendants  of  the  English  who  fought  him  meet  to-day  with  the  descendants  of 
the  French  who  followed  him,  and  with  us,  as  men  of  America  knowing  no  dis- 
tinction of  race,  honor  Montcalm,  who  held  these  heights  to  the  disaster  of  the  great 
British  Army,  only  finally  to  learn  in  Canada  that  the  victorious  General  Amherst 
had  secured  control.  A  man,  devoted  to  his  wife  and  children,  embracing  the 
opportunities  of  the  New  World  because  of  his  loyalty  to  his  nation  and  its  sov- 
ereigns, a  pure-minded  man,  one  who  worked  as  a  common  soldier  here  in  the 
trenches  at  Ticonderoga,  inspiring  his  troops  with  his  devotion  and  his  courage,  a 
man  whose  memory  is  not  the  exclusive  possession  of  his  nation  but  is  the  pride 
of  humanity  itself. 

And  then  there  was  Lord  Howe,  who  did  not  reach  this  spot  —  as  fine  a  speci- 
men of  the  English  race  as  ever  visited  this  soil  —  as  Wolfe  said,  "  the  best  soldier 
in  the  British  Army,"  a  man,  like  Montcalm,  of  pure  character  and  honorable 
purpose.  He  fell  in  the  surprise  in  the  woods,  having  lost  his  way,  but  he  has 
given  sanctity  to  the  spot  which  he  sought  to  reach  and  to  this  place  with  which  his 
name  has  been  identified. 

But  America  has  not  failed  to  achieve  a  place  in  the  honorable  roll  of  those 
who  have  dignified  this  height  with  their  exploits  and  their  deeds  of  courage.  We 
have  Ethan  Allen.      (Great  applause.) 

And  the  only  victory  ever  won  on  this  spot  that  really  meant  something  perma- 
nent was  won  by  Ethan  Allen.  (Applause.)  The  French  had  a  wonderful 
victory,  and  Montcalm  in  triumph  set  up  the  cross  ascribing  it  to  Providence. 
Amherst  thought  he  had  come  to  stay,  and  in  their  pride  of  occupancy  the  British 
left  a  little  garrison  to  be  surprised  and  in  humiliation  to  surrender  and  thus  to 
permit  the  Continental  Congress,  almost  ante-natally  favored  by  the  "  Great 
Jehovah,"  to  establish  its  colors  here.      (Laughter  and  applause.) 

And  with  Ethan  Allen  were  the  rest  of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys.  The 
Governor  of  Vermont  will  become  eloquent  about  this  in  a  moment.  The  New 
Yorkers  and  Vermonters  worked  together  here,  and  they  are  always  to  be  together 
hereafter.  (Applause.)  New  York  is  not  to  be  outdone  in  the  praise  of  the 
Green  Mountain  Boys  who  took  this  fortress  for  the  Colonies,  and,  although  it 
was  destined  to  fall  again  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  it  was  only  for  a  short 
time.  The  victory  of  Ethan  Allen  and  the  surrender  of  the  British  commander, 
under  the  most  abject  conditions  under  which  a  commander  ever  surrendered,  was 
significant  only  because  of  the  indomitable  spirit  of  the  Americans  which  Allen 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  145 

incarnated.  Whether  it  was  at  Ticonderoga  or  at  Oriskany  or  at  Saratoga  or  at 
Yorictown,  they  were  unconquerable,  and  to  the  intelligent  onlooker  of  his  time 
the  exploit  in  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  was  prophetic  because  of  its  revelation 
of  the  spirit  of  the  Revolution,  which  has  been  transmitted  through  the  generations 
until  in  these  opening  years  of  the  Twentieth  century  there  is  no  one  to  decry  or 
contest  our  power  or  influence  for  good,  and  no  one  in  the  world  but  wishes  well 
for  the  American  people.      (Applause.) 

The  State  ought  to  have  restored  these  ruins,  but  we  are  proud  of  the  patriotism 
that  has  undertaken  the  restoration.  (Applause.)  We  are  glad  that  they  are 
being  safe-guarded.  Now  let  us  all,  coming  to  this  spot  of  story,  of  defeat,  of 
victory  ■ —  distinguished  by  the  best  and  bravest  of  the  Old  World  and  of  the 
New  —  reconsecrate  ourselves  to  the  cause  of  human  freedom,  knowing  that  only 
in  our  individual  lives  and  in  our  seemingly  slender  opportunities  can  we  really  make 
secure  that  for  which  our  fathers  fought.      (Applause.) 

Senator  Hill  then  introduced  the  Governor  of  Vermont.  ''Across 
yon  beautiful  lake,"  he  said,  "  lies  the  State  of  Vermont,  which  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  the  celebration  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain. 
From  the  day  that  project  was  first  considered,  it  has  had  the  endorsement 
of  the  Governors  of  that  State  and  we  are  fortunate  to-day  in  having  with 
us  His  Excellency,  George  H.  Prouty,  Governor  of  Vermont,  whom  I 
now  present  as  the  next  speaker."     (Applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  at  Ticonderoga. 

Governor  Prouty  spoke  as  follows: 

Mr.  Chairman,  Your  Excellency,  Members  of  the  New  York  Legislature, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  can  assure  you  that  with  a  few  exceptions  I  am 
extremely  glad  to  be  here.  I  have  tested  the  soil  of  New  York;  I  know  it  sticks; 
I  shall  carry  it  away  with  me  when  I  go  (laughter),  and  I  shall  also  carry  away 
with  me  the  pleasure  of  seeing  this  great  convocation  here  to-day.  It  is  indeed 
a  great  pleasure  for  a  Governor  of  Vermont  to  come  here  to  this  historic  spot, 
because,  if  I  remember  correctly,  there  was  another  Vermonter  that  came  here  one 
time,  and,  as  Governor  Hughes  has  said,  accomplished  something.  He  was  sent 
here  by  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Legislature  of  Vermont.      (Applause.) 

I  give  you  greeting,  ladies  and  gentlemen.     I  shall  not  endeavor  to  be  eloquent 
over  the  Green  Mountain  Boys  or  over  any  one  else  in  Vermont,  but  I  do  want  to 
say  to  you  that  whatever  our  feelings  may  have  been  in  the  past  for  you  at  some 
11 


146  State  of  New  York 

time,  we  have  nothing  but  love  and  good  will  now.  (Applause.)  If  Vermont 
was  fortunate  enough  to  have  conceived  the  idea  of  this  great  celebration,  she  has 
also  been  fortunate  in  having  such  wonderful  co-operation  from  the  State  of  New 
York,  because  the  State  of  New  York  in  this  matter  has  acted  as  a  big  brother 
to  the  State  of  Vermont,  and  the  State  of  Vermont  fully  appreciates  it. 

This  is  a  grand  celebration,  and  a  great  deal  of  work  and  a  great  deal  of  money 
has  been  spent  to  get  up  such  a  celebration  as  this,  and  we  ought  to  remember  what 
this  is  and  what  this  means  for  us.  This  celebration  is  not  prepared  simply  for 
pleasure.  It  is  prepared  because  of  the  memories  which  we  have  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  of  Samuel  Champlain  and  of  all  the  great  heroes  who  have  performed 
deeds  of  valor  in  this  beautiful  valley.  If  we  do  not  realize  this  fact,  if  we  do 
not  take  the  lessons  of  the  heroism  of  those  men,  we  shall  not  have  received  the 
benefit  from  this  celebration  which  we  ought  to.  It  is  only  by  remembering  these 
things,  it  is  only  by  remembering  the  sacrifices  which  have  been  made,  it  is  only 
by  remembering  what  Samuel  Champlain  came  here  for,  that  we  can  get  the 
proper  benefit  from  this  great  celebration,  and,  therefore,  I  say  to-day  for  just 
a  moment  that  we  should  remember  that  these  heroes  performed  these  deeds  of 
valor  because  of  their  love  for  country,  because  they  wanted  to  do  something  for 
the  world,  and  for  mankind,  and  unless  we  take  these  lessons  to  us,  we  have  failed 
in  getting  the  best  from  this  great  celebration.  I  promised  when  I  came  here  that 
I  wouldn't  speak  over  five  minutes.  I  could  not,  if  I  tried,  give  you  an  historical 
address  or  an  eloquent  one;  but  I  do  come  here  as  the  Governor  of  Vermont 
to  bring  you  the  greetings  of  that  little  State  and  again  tell  you  that  we  appreciate 
that  whatever  may  have  been  in  the  past,  to-day  we  are  simply  brothers  and  fellow 
countrymen;  that  we  live  in  the  same  great  republic  whose  representative  we  shall 
see  here  in  such  a  short  time,  and  that  we  simply  try  to  outdo  the  State  of  New 
York  in  our  patriotism.  My  friends,  again  I  say  to  you,  I  am  glad  to  be  here. 
The  mud  which  I  carry  away  will  be  sacred  to  me.      (Applause.) 

Chairman  Hill  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  If  the  Governor  of  Ver- 
mont carries  nothing  away  but  mud  he  is  welcome  to  it.  (Laughter.) 
I  hope  he  will  carry  some  of  the  inspiration  of  this  great  audience  away 
with  him,  and  I  know  he  will.  We  were  fortunate,  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
in  securing  distinguished  speakers  for  our  various  exercises  to  be  held 
during  the  entire  week.  We  were  particularly  gratified  that  we  were  to 
have  on  this  occasion,  at  this  historic  place,  a  gentleman  who  has  written 
so  well  of  American  scenery,  a  gentleman  who  has  traveled  so  exten- 
sively and  who  has  so  beautifully  described  many  of  the  places  of  the 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  147 

Old  and  New  Worlds.  We  wanted  him  to  come  into  the  Champlain 
valley,  so  that,  henceforth,  some  such  beautiful  pictures  as  he  has  given 
us  of  other  places  may  be  produced  by  him  with  reference  to  Lake 
Champlain,  and  we  are  now  to  hear  from  the  Associate  Editor  of  the 
Outlook,  who  will  address  you  —  Doctor  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie. 
(Applause.) 

Doctor  Hamilton  Wright   Mabie   addressed   the   assemblage.      His 
paper  follows: 

THE  STORY  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN. 

By  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie. 

An   address  delivered   at   Fort  Ticonderoga  on   July  6,   the   three  hundredth   anniversary   of  the 

discovery  of  Lake  Champlain. 

The  Discovery, 

On  the  28th  day  of  June,  1  609,  Champlain,  with  a  party  of  eleven  Frenchmen, 
armed  with  the  arquebus,  accompanied  by  three  hundred  and  more  Indians,  set 
sail  from  Quebec  in  a  fleet  of  canoes;  crossed  Lake  St.  Peter;  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  river  which  has  borne  many  names  but  has  finally  become  the  Richelieu; 
after  a  short  stay  enlivened  by  fishing  and  hunting  and  by  the  customary  secession 
of  three-fourths  of  his  Indian  allies,  which  reduced  the  party  to  three  Frenchmen 
and  sixty  Algonquin  braves,  made  his  way  up  the  quiet  stream  in  a  world  of  virgin 
foliage;  left  his  canoes  where  the  roar  of  the  rapids  broke  the  silence  of  the  woods 
and  the  foam  of  tumultuous  waters  became  visible  through  the  trees,  and  plunged 
into  the  wilderness.  These  daring  Frenchmen  were  of  the  stuff  of  which  heroes 
are  made,  in  a  century  which  bred  men  of  heroic  temper;  they  were  intrepid, 
ardent,  and  gallant,  after  the  manner  of  their  race.  A  history  of  splendid  audacity 
on  the  uncharted  Sea  of  Darkness,  as  they  called  the  Atlantic,  lay  behind  them; 
a  romantic  and  tragic  history  of  laborious  adventure,  uncalculating  heroism,  and 
perils  without  number  lay  before  them.  Behind  them  were  the  cliffs  of  Quebec, 
on  which  the  most  picturesque  city  of  the  continent  was  to  rise,  the  mountain  on 
whose  slope  Montreal  was  to  build  itself  with  the  solidity  of  the  Old  and  the  bright- 
ness of  the  New  World,  and  the  slope  on  which  Toronto  was  to  gather  itself  around 
its  beautiful  park,  its  Parliament  House,  and  its  University;  the  St.  Lawrence, 
majestic  among  rivers  for  its  volume,  its  scenery,  its  magnificent  tumult  of  birth  at 
Niagara,  and  its  impressive  sweep  through  a  gulf  which  is  like  a  sea  into  the 
Atlantic;  behind  them,  too,  was  half  a  continent  which  was  to  be  contended  for 
by  two  races  and  to  become  the  home  of  both,  united  in  the  building  of  a  great 


148  State  of  New  York 


and  powerful  empire,  English  in  name  and  loyalty,  in  energy  and  power  of  admin- 
istration, French  in  tradition,  in  ancient  courtesy  of  hospitality  and  the  love  of  life. 

Of  this  brilliant  and  stirring  future,  so  impressive  to  us  to-day,  Champlain  had 
no  vision  as  he  re-embarked  and  was  swept  along  through  forests  teeming  v«th 
game,  past  meadows  sweet  with  the  odors  of  the  young  summer,  until  the  river 
widened  into  the  lake  that  was  to  bear  his  name  to  the  remotest  future.  Isle  a  La 
Motte,  beautiful  in  its  green  expanse  and  its  lovely  outlooks,  Grande  Isle  and  Long 
Island,  lay  in  his  path  as  he  entered  the  tranquil  waters  of  Champlain.  It  was  a 
landscape  of  quiet  but  varied  and  striking  beauty  into  which  this  brave  French 
gentleman  came  about  July  4,  1609.  Before  him  the  Lake  stretched  to  the  south 
and  lured  the  imagination  on  its  owti  voyage  of  discovery  beyond  the  farther  dip 
of  the  sky ;  on  his  right  the  Adirondack  wilderness  was  spread  out  league  on  league, 
hill  rising  behind  hill  to  the  noble  mass  and  altitude  of  Marcy  and  Whiteface; 
to  the  left  the  forests  climbed  to  the  summit  of  Mansfield;  the  shores  were  indented 
by  almost  numberless  inlets  and  bays,  and  the  primeval  forests  came  down  to  the 
water's  edge  in  a  long  sweep  of  unbroken  foliage.  As  the  little  flotilla  moved 
southward  under  the  quiet  stars,  silent  as  the  night  itself,  they  passed  Split  Rock, 
with  the  mysterious  serpent  coiled  on  its  face  —  a  place  sacred  in  the  unwritten 
annals  of  the  aborigines,  and  a  symbol  of  the  savage  life  to  which  the  coming  of 
Champlain  was  the  unsuspected  approach  of  doom.  To  the  west  the  solitude  of 
the  woods  which  have  since  become  a  priceless  Forest  of  Aiden  for  rest,  sport, 
and  health  was  unbroken  save  by  the  softly  falling  tread  of  moccasined  hunters; 
to  the  south,  through  the  beautiful  Mohawk  valley,  stretched  the  lodges  of  the 
Five  Nations,  the  implacable,  tireless,  war-loving  Iroquois,  the  most  daring  and 
skillful  of  Indian  fighters,  who  had  been  driven  from  the  Champlain  valley  a 
century  and  a  half  earlier  by  their  ancestral  enemies,  the  Algonquins. 

If  the  gallant  French  gentleman,  high-minded  and  generous  of  spirit,  whom 
the  paddles  of  Algonquin  warriors  were  bearing  swnftly  southward  could  have 
heard  the  terrible  cries  that  were  to  haunt  those  woods  in  the  near  future  and  for 
many  a  later  year,  and  seen  as  in  a  vision  the  horror  of  torture  and  the  bitterness 
of  death  that  were  to  be  enacted  again  and  again  in  places  which  nature  had  made 
for  temples  and  homes,  he  might  have  turned  backward  and  left  the  valley  to  its 
vast  solitude  and  silence.  But  in  the  drama  of  human  life,  never  without  its 
monitions  of  tragedy,  and  yet  moving  through  storm  and  blood  to  a  widening  peace 
and  higher  ordering  of  society,  it  was  ordained  that  Champlain  should  be  the 
harbinger  of  war  and  desolation  in  the  very  hour  in  which  he  was  to  grasp  the 
crown  of  the  discoverer. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  149 


A  Great  Figure  Appears 

On  the  evening  of  the  29th  of  July,  three  hundred  years  ago,  as  they  approached 
the  point  of  land  on  which  Ticonderoga  stands,  the  Algonquins  descried  the  canoes 
of  their  enemies  putting  out  from  the  shore,  and  in  a  moment  the  night  was  a  tumult 
of  war-cries.  The  Iroquois,  who  had  no  genius  for  naval  strategy,  put  ashore  and 
hastily  barricaded  themselves  in  the  woods.  In  the  dusk  of  the  summer  twilight 
that  first  scene  in  the  authentic  history  of  Lake  Champlain  silhouettes  itself  in 
dusky  lines ;  the  Iroquois  furiously  felling  trees  and  piling  the  trunks  in  a  rude  order ; 
the  Algonquins  dancing  in  their  rockmg  boats  lashed  together  near  the  shore  and 
fining  the  air  with  shouts  of  defiance  and  derision.  It  was  a  dramatic  moment  when 
morning  broke,  for  no  European  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  wilderness,  and  the 
dawn  was  the  rising  of  the  curtain  on  a  drama  in  which  four  races  were  to  appear; 
a  war  that  was  to  involve  half  the  world  was  to  be  fought,  and  the  destiny  of  a 
continent  decided. 

The  Algonquins  landed  as  soon  as  it  was  light;  the  Iroquois,  erect  as  the  pines 
about  them,  vigorous,  daring,  and  vindictive,  left  the  shelter  of  their  barricades  and 
moved  through  the  woods  with  the  steadiness  of  veteran  troops,  the  plumes  of  their 
chiefs  leading  the  onset.  Then,  with  dramatic  quickness,  the  ranks  of  the  Algon- 
quins opened  and  Champlain,  partly  in  armor,  advanced  and  stood  between  them; 
a  strange  and  ominous  figure  in  the  eyes  of  his  enemies  if  they  had  known  it,  the 
foe  alike  of  Iroquois  and  Algonquins;  the  impersonation  of  that  aggressive  force 
of  civilization  which  sweeps  the  lesser  race  irresistibly  before  it  as  it  moves  wnth  the 
momentum  of  a  glacier. 

Standing  on  the  edge  of  the  forest,  steel  on  his  breast  and  thighs,  a  plumed 
casque  on  his  head,  a  sword  at  his  side,  an  arquebus  in  his  hand,  on  that  July 
morning  eleven  years  before  the  landing  at  Plymouth,  two  months  before  Henry 
Hudson  discovered  the  Hudson,  Champlain  holds  the  center  of  the  stage,  the 
earliest  of  the  men  of  striking  personality  who  were  to  appear  in  this  beautiful 
valley;  second  to  none  of  them  in  nobility  of  purpose  and  greatness  of  soul;  dividing 
with  La  Salle  the  pre-eminence  of  fame  among  Frenchmen  in  America.  He  incar- 
nated in  that  moment  the  genius  of  France,  its  immense  service  to  America,  the 
story  of  discovery,  exploration,  adventure,  heroism,  and  sacrifice  which  it  was  to 
contribute  to  the  finding  and  making  of  the  New  World.  To-day  we  celebrate 
their  dauntless  courage,  their  restless  energy,  their  enthusiasm,  which  no  danger 
could  check  and  no  toil  exhaust. 

As  England  sent  her  great  sailors  and  adventurers  from  Devonshire,  whose 
rocky  coasts  in  the  mists  of  sunset  are  beautiful  as  the  gales  of  fairyland,  France 
sent  her  sailors  and  explorers  from  the  harbors  of  Normandy  and  Brittany,  where 


150  State  of  New  York 


men  of  heroic  mold  gained  tempered  strength  on  the  high  seas.  They  were  a 
gallant  company,  those  daring  Frenchmen  who  sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence, 
crossed  the  wilderness  and  the  prairie,  spread  the  first  sail  on  the  inland  lakes,  and 
floated  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf,  penetrating  to  the  heart  of  the  continent, 
and  leaving  behind  them  in  all  the  localities  where  they  or  their  successors  stayed  — 
at  Detroit,  at  St.  Louis,  at  New  Orleans,  and  in  small  towns  —  a  tradition  of 
courtesy  and  a  touch  of  distinction  which  have  persisted  through  the  centuries.  The 
hardy  men  of  Dieppe  and  Honfleur  who  were  fishing  off  the  coasts  of  Newfound- 
land four  centuries  ago;  Jacques  Cartier,  sailing  out  of  the  harbor  where  St.  Malo 
still  prospers  behind  her  walls  and  Millet's  statue  of  Chateaubriand  looks  seaward; 
Jean  Nicollet,  Joliet,  Marquette,  Frontenac,  Hennepin,  Tonty,  Bienville,  La  Salle 
(one  of  the  greatest  names  in  our  early  history)  ;  the  Jesuit  Fathers  who  kept  com- 
pany Vfcith  hardship  and  death  so  many  decades  —  how  these  great  figures  stand 
out  in  the  morning  light  of  the  New  World! 

On  that  historic  morning  when  he  stood  between  the  two  bands  of  Indian 
warriors  Champlain  was  forty-two  years  old.  Born  not  far  from  Rochelle,  in  a 
country  which,  like  Devon,  Normandy,  and  Brittany,  was  a  nursery  of  sailors, 
Champlain  knew  the  sea  from  his  youth  and  loved  it.  A  gentleman  by  birth  and 
training,  he  was  brave  and  hardy,  of  great  strength,  calm  in  danger,  resourceful 
and  swift  in  action;  strict  in  discipline,  but  always  just  and  kind;  a  Frenchman  in 
his  blitheness  of  spirit  and  a  certain  inextinguishable  gayety  which  hardship  could 
not  dim,  he  was  a  man  to  be  loved  and  honored.  No  more  chivalrous  and  gallant 
figure  appears  in  the  New  World  story.  He  belongs  with  the  Founders  and  Build- 
ers, and  rightly  bears  the  proud  title,  the  "  Father  of  New  France."  Parkman 
places  his  name  first  among  the  pioneers  of  our  forests.  "  It  was  he  who  struck 
the  deepest  and  boldest  strokes  into  the  heart  of  their  pristine  barbarism.  *  *  * 
The  preux  chevalier,  the  crusader,  the  romance-loving  explorer,  the  curious  knowl- 
edge-seeking traveler,  the  practical  navigator,  all  found  their  share  in  him. 
*  *  *  His  books  mark  the  man  —  all  for  his  theme  and  purpose,  nothing 
for  himself.  Crude  in  style,  full  of  the  superficial  errors  of  carelessness  and  haste, 
rarely  diffuse,  often  brief  to  a  fault,  they  bear  on  every  page  the  palpable  impress 
of  truth."  His  heart  was  in  the  New  World.  In  Paris,  he  tells  us,  he  walked 
the  streets  in  a  dream,  recalling  the  mystery  of  the  deep  woods,  hearing  above  the 
tumult  of  the  ancient  city  the  music  of  trees  swaying  in  the  wind,  seeing  with  that 
inward  eye  which  is  alike  the  bliss  of  solitude  and  of  the  squares  where  mighty 
streams  of  men  converge,  the  long  aisles  of  the  unexplored  forest;  full,  too,  of  a 
mighty  compassion  for  the  Indians,  and  holding  the  saving  of  a  soul  better  worth 
while  than  the  founding  of  an  empire. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  151 


Such  was  the  man  who  faced  the  Iroquois,  looking  at  him  with  startled  surprise, 
as  at  a  visitor  from  another  planet,  on  that  fateful  July  morning.  In  his  quaint  but 
graphic  style  he  has  described  his  part  in  the  fight.  "  I  looked  at  them  and  they 
looked  at  me.  When  I  saw  them  getting  ready  to  shoot  their  arrows  at  us,  I 
leveled  my  arquebus,  which  I  had  loaded  with  four  balls,  and  aimed  straight  on 
one  of  the  three  chiefs.  The  shot  brought  down  two  and  wounded  another.  On 
this,  our  Indians  set  up  such  a  yelling  that  one  could  not  have  heard  a  thunder-clap, 
and  all  the  while  the  arrows  flew  thick  on  both  sides.  The  Iroquois  were  greatly 
astonished  and  frightened  to  see  two  of  their  men  killed  so  quickly,  in  spite  of  the 
arrow-proof  armor.  As  I  was  reloading,  one  of  my  companions  fired  a  shot  from 
the  woods,  which  so  increased  their  astonishment  that,  seeing  their  chiefs  dead, 
they  abandoned  the  field  and  fled  into  the  depths  of  the  forest."  Then  followed 
the  customary  orgies  of  torture  and  death,  from  which  Champlain  turned  with 
loathing  and  horror,  begging  his  allies  to  put  their  victims  out  of  misery  by  shooting 
them;  and  so  falls  the  curtain  on  the  first  act  of  the  drama  of  races  and  nations 
in  the  Champlain  valley.  Henceforth  the  Iroquois  were  the  implacable  enemies 
of  the  French. 

Seeds  of  Conflict 

The  French  had  inadvertently,  perhaps  inevitably,  taken  sides  in  a  struggle 
in  which  there  were  from  time  to  time  intervals  of  inaction,  but  no  cessation  of 
hostilities.  Between  the  Algonquins  and  the  Iroquois  there  was  a  feud  antedating 
historic  times,  born  in  the  geographical  conditions  in  which  the  two  great  groups 
found  themselves,  and  in  their  temperament  and  history.  War  was  the  normal 
occupation,  the  pastime,  the  absorbing  interest  of  both  groups.  In  their  rudimentary 
political  and  social  conditions  it  was  the  one  field  on  which  genius,  daring,  force, 
could  find  free  play;  it  was  an  open  pathway  to  fame  and  power.  The  English 
colonists  at  the  south  and  east  lived  with  arms  in  their  hands  and  in  the  face  of 
constant  peril,  but  they  were  mainly  home-makers,  with  small  thought  of  wide 
conquests;  concerned  chiefly  with  getting  roofs  over  their  heads  and  seed  in  the 
ground.  They  were  fighting  here  and  there  as  they  set  their  stakes  farther  and 
farther  into  the  wilderness;  but  their  advance  was  slow  and  they  were  but  a  thin 
line  of  pioneers  building  larger  than  they  knew.  The  French,  on  the  other  hand, 
had  great  ambitions  from  the  beginning.  They  were  not  primarily  settlers,  home- 
makers,  farmers;  they  were  ardent  explorers,  bent  on  bringing  a  new  empire  under 
French  rule,  soldiers  eager  to  establish  French  authority  in  the  farthest  confines 
of  the  wilderness;  devoted  priests  whose  joy  it  was  to  plant  the  cross  in  savage 
places  and  to  sing  the  Mass  in  savage  ears,  tireless  apostles  of  a  Church  whose 
annals   they   enriched   with    almost   numberless    martyrdoms.      The    English    crept 


152  State  of  New  York 


slowly  forward  as  they  needed  land  for  their  immediate  purposes;  the  French  swept, 
few  in  numbers  but  dauntless  in  courage,  to  the  very  heart  of  the  continent,  inspired 
by  great  dreams  of  empire,  of  the  glory  of  France,  of  the  spread  of  the  faith. 
Inevitably,  therefore,  they  met  fierce  opposition  over  a  thousand  miles  of  territory 
from  an  enemy  who  saw  in  them  a  foe  to  be  faced  and  fought  to  the  death.  In 
that  long  and  disorderly  warfare  Lake  Champlain  appears  and  reappears  as  the 
record  touches  now  one  point  and  now  another,  now  a  column  moving  with  shining 
arms  through  the  woods,  now  a  flotilla  sweeping  across  the  lake,  now  a  skirmish 
desperately  fought;  always  bands  of  braves  stealing  through  the  trees,  alert, 
implacable,   tireless. 

War  between  the  rival  colonists,  divided  by  race,  by  faith,  by  temperament, 
was  chronic,  as  was  war  between  the  French  and  the  Iroquois;  subsiding  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  breaking  out  afresh  in  some  local  incident  or  inspired  by  the  inces- 
sant bickerings  of  the  two  nations  at  home.  In  the  dead  of  winter  in  1 690  a 
small  army  of  French  and  Indians  might  have  been  seen  moving  silently  on  the 
ice;  two  weeks  later  the  blazing  settlement  at  Schenectady,  like  a  great  torch, 
revealed  their  destination.  In  one  of  these  minor  struggles,  in  the  intervals  between 
the  greater  and  more  significant  combats,  a  figure  of  heroic  mold  appears  in  the 
person  of  Captain  John  Schuyler,  of  Albany;  a  man  of  intrepid  energy  and  inti- 
mate familiarity  with  border  warfare,  the  bearer  of  a  name  of  the  highest  distinction 
in  the  history  of  New  York,  and  the  forerunner  of  one  of  the  purest-minded  and 
noblest-hearted  leaders  of  Revolutionary  struggle.  Within  sound  of  the  guns  of 
Montreal,  this  daring  soldier  avenged  the  destruction  of  Schenectady.  A  year  later 
another  Schuyler,  Philip,  passed  over  the  same  route  which  his  brother  had  taken, 
fought  a  desperate  battle  with  a  large  force  sent  out  from  Montreal,  and  brought 
his  men  off  in  safety  after  assaulting  and  capturing  Fort  La  Prairie.  In  I  709  a 
considerable  force  of  colonists  from  New  York  and  New  England,  with  five 
hundred  warriors  from  the  lodges  of  the  Five  Nations,  passed  over  a  road  built 
by  the  State  from  Albany  to  the  lake,  but  returned  without  meeting  the  French; 
the  expedition  against  Quebec,  which  was  part  of  the  general  plan  to  seize  Canada, 
proving  equally  futile.  The  importance  of  the  lake  as  a  highway  north  and  south 
was  now  clearly  seen,  and  both  English  and  French  recognized  its  strategical 
importance;  but  the  French,  organized  on  a  military  basis,  acted  first.  In  1731 
they  built  a  fort  at  Crown  Point,  which  was  called  St.  Frederic,  the  English  mean- 
time claiming  the  title  to  the  territory  on  both  sides  the  lake.  The  Governor- 
General  of  Canada  began  to  issue  grants  of  great  sections  of  land.  Isle  la  Motte 
being  included  in  the  first  of  these  gifts  to  French  officials  and  soldiers.  Few  of 
these  tracts  were  settled  within  the  time  fixed  by  the  grants,  and  the  territory  largely 
reverted  to  the  Crown;  the  modern  love  of  scenery  was  still  in  embryo,  and  the 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  153 

social  Frenchmen  shrank  from  the  isolation  of  life  in  the  wilderness.  New  York 
was  sluggish  of  action  in  those  days  of  loose  organization;  it  had  the  keys  of  Can- 
ada in  its  hands,  but  allowed  the  French  to  intrench  themselves  on  the  lake  and 
make  ready  for  the  decisive  struggle  for  the  control  of  the  continent  that  was  fast 
approaching.  For  two  decades  Crown  Point  was  a  menacing  stronghold  and  the 
base  of  many  irritating  forays. 

A  Frontier  Baron 

The  final  conflict  was  preceded  by  desultory  and  ineffective  attempts  by  the 
colonists  to  break  or  destroy  the  French  power  in  Canada.  In  I  755  a  number  of 
colonial  governors  met  at  Alexandria  and  planned  a  campaign  against  Canada, 
involving  expeditions  against  Crown  Point,  the  fort  at  Niagara,  and  Fort  Duquesne. 
The  leadership  of  the  expedition  against  Crovra  Point  was  assigned  to  Sir  William 
Johnson,  and  was  to  be  made  up  of  colonists  and  Indians.  The  Indians  held 
back  at  first;  they  found  the  colonists  too  little  occupied  with  war.  "  Look  at 
the  French,"  they  said;  "they  are  men,  they  are  fortifying  everywhere."  In  the 
end  they  joined  forces  with  the  colonists,  and  in  July  General  Lyman  arrived 
with  six  hundred  troops  from  New  England  and  promptly  began  building  Fort 
Lyman.  When  Sir  William  Johnson  reached  the  camp  a  month  later,  he  found 
himself  in  command  of  more  than  three  thousand  men.  Mr.  Norton  once  said  of 
Lowell  that  in  the  crisis  of  the  war  between  the  States  his  voice  was  worth  an  army 
corps;  Johnson  was  the  equivalent  of  a  division.  Intrepid,  resourceful,  accustomed 
to  create  conditions  instead  of  conforming  to  them,  flexible  in  habit,  enamored 
of  the  freedom  of  frontier  life,  and  daring  enough  to  use  it  to  the  full,  Johnson 
knew  the  Indian  mind  and  habit  more  intimately  perhaps  than  any  other  man  in 
the  colonies;  and,  what  was  more  important,  he  had  the  firm  friendship  and  con- 
fidence of  the  Indians.  He  lived  on  the  Mohawk  on  easy  terms  with  life,  and 
especially  with  his  Indian  neighbors.  An  Irishman  by  birth,  he  was  strongly  built, 
of  a  commanding  spirit  and  a  jovial  temper.  His  house  was  a  castle  and  a  club; 
it  could  stand  a  siege  or  give  hospitality  of  bed  and  food  and  drink  to  an  army 
of  friends.  Its  master  was  a  born  host  who  drank  flip  with  the  Dutch  settlers  and 
Madeira  with  the  royal  governors;  he  could  trade  with  the  instinct  of  a  modern 
financier  of  the  advanced  school;  he  could  preside  at  Indian  councils  and  use  all 
the  devices  of  Indian  oratory,  and  he  had  a  genius  for  international  marriages. 

Johnson's  army  was  a  miscellaneous  one;  he  danced  the  war  dance  with  his 
Indians;  there  were  good  men  and  true  in  it,  and  there  were  colonists  who  came 
reluctantly  and  were  eager  to  be  back  on  their  farms;  they  wore  many  kinds  of 
clothes  and  carried  all  sorts  of  arms.  Its  morals  were  variously  reported.  Park- 
man  quotes  William  Smith,  of  New  York,  as  saying,  "  Not  a  chicken  has  been 


154  State  of  New  York 


stolen  " —  a  statement  unique  in  the  annals  of  civilized  wars.  Colonel  Ephraim 
Williams,  one  of  the  honorable  company  of  American  founders  of  colleges,  wrote: 
"  We  are  a  wicked,  profane  army,  especially  the  New  York  and  Rhode  Island 
troops.  Nothing  to  be  heard  among  a  great  part  of  them  but  the  language  of 
Hell.  If  Crown  Point  is  taken,  it  will  not  be  for  our  sakes,  but  for  those  good 
people  left  behind."  It  ought  to  be  remembered  that  the  language  of  New  York 
has  often  sounded  profane  in  New  England  ears,  when  it  was  only  informally 
picturesque.  There  were  also  prayers  and  sermons  and  psalm-singing  —  largely, 
it  may  be  suspected,  in  the  New  England  camps,  though  even  there  one  detects  signs 
ot  our  common  humanity.  "As  to  rum,"  writes  Colonel  Williams,  "  it  won't 
hold  out  nine  weeks;  "  and  he  adds  these  significant  words,  "  Things  appear  most 
melancholy  to  me."  Things  went  slowly,  as  they  usually  did  with  colonial  armies. 
Johnson  managed  to  dine  on  venison  and  cheered  his  guests  with  good  wine;  inci- 
dentally he  gave  one  of  the  loveliest  lakes  in  America  the  name  it  still  bears. 

On  a  day  in  early  September,  the  French  commander,  Dieskau,  misled  by  a 
report  that  the  English  had  retreated,  advanced  from  Ticonderoga  to  the  point 
where  Whitehall  now  stands,  left  a  part  of  his  troops,  moved  forward  along  the 
edges  of  a  marsh  as  far  as  the  head  of  South  Bay,  abandoned  his  canoes,  and 
plunged  into  the  forest,  about  fifteen  hundred  men  in  all  —  regular  troops, 
Canadians,  and  Indiana.  The  following  evening  they  were  within  three  miles  of  a 
detachment  of  colonists.  Captured  drivers  of  wagons  told  the  French  that  they 
had  been  misled  and  that  the  Enghsh  lay  in  force  at  the  lake.  Many  Indians 
promptly  deserted,  but  the  daring  Dieskau  pushed  forward  and  met  a  column  of 
English  troops.  The  French  regulars  were  halted  on  the  road,  the  Canadians 
with  the  Indians  who  remained  were  hidden  in  the  woods.  Johnson  meantime 
had  been  informed  of  Dieskau's  movements,  and  decided  to  send  a  thousand  men 
in  two  detachments  to  "  catch  the  enemy  in  their  retreat."  The  protest  of  the 
Mohawk  chief  who  picked  up  a  stick  and  easily  broke  it  and  then  tried  in  vain  to 
break  several  sticks  was  heeded,  and  the  detachments  were  united;  but  the 
experienced  fighter  still  demurred.  "  If  they  are  to  be  killed,"  he  said,  "  they 
are  too  many;  if  they  are  to  fight,  they  are  too  few." 

The  ambush  had  been  skillfully  laid,  and  when  the  English  advanced  the  forest 
suddenly  broke  into  a  blaze  of  musket  shots.  Colonel  Wilhams  rode  swiftly  up  a 
little  rise  of  ground,  calling  his  men  to  follow  him,  and  fell  with  a  bullet  through 
his  brain;  one  of  those  heroic  spirits  whose  mortality  finds  its  witness  here  as  well 
as  there,  and  whose  name  lives  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  American  colleges. 
Under  the  terrible  enfilading  fire  of  an  invisible  enemy  the  colonists  recoiled,  pressed 
forward  in  the  face  of  the  murderous  flame,  and  then  broke  in  confusion  amid  the 
yells  of  the  Indians.      Colonel  Williams  was  still  in  the  fight  in  the  indomitable 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  155 


spirit  of  his  troops,  who  rallied,  made  a  brave  retreat,  and  ended  "  the  bloody 
morning  scout."  An  hour  after  Williams  set  out  the  main  camp  heard  the  shouts 
of  their  retreating  comrades,  built  a  hasty  barricade  with  wagons  and  trunks  of 
trees,  planted  cannon,  and  made  ready  for  an  assault.  Fifteen  hundred  farmers, 
most  of  whom  had  never  heard  a  gun  fired  save  in  sport,  their  nerves  shaken  by 
the  catastrophe  of  the  morning,  waited  the  advance  of  the  French  regulars  march- 
ing down  the  forest  road,  war-whoops  bursting  from  the  woods,  and  the  Canadians 
and  Indians  rushing  down  the  wooded  hillside.  The  colonists  held  their  fire  until 
their  enemies  were  close  at  hand,  and  then  swept  the  white-coated  ranks  with  grape 
and  compelled  them  to  seek  the  shelter  of  the  trees,  and  the  fight  became  a  furious 
fusillade.  For  an  hour  Dieskau  drove  in  succession  against  Johnson's  right,  center 
and  left,  until  he  was  struck  by  a  shot  in  the  leg,  and  while  the  wound  was  being 
dressed  was  shot  again  in  the  knee  and  thigh.  Seated  behind  a  tree,  the  brave 
Frenchman  refused  to  be  moved,  and  ordered  his  adjutant  to  leave  him  and  make 
a  final  charge  against  Johnson's  position.  But  the  day  was  lost;  the  colonists 
rushed  from  their  entrenchments,  fell  like  a  whirlwind  on  the  French,  and  drove 
them  in  confusion  from  the  field.  Dieskau  was  shot  again  and  was  carried  to 
Johnson's  quarters,  where  he  narrowly  escaped  being  burned  and  eaten  by  the 
furious  Mohawks.  He  lived  to  return  to  Paris  and  to  tell  the  story  of  his  adven- 
tures with  Gallic  fire  and  effectiveness. 

Johnson  failed  to  follow  his  victory  by  a  decisive  blow;  his  army  was 
re-enforced;  the  November  snows  began  to  fall,  the  November  viands  to  howl 
through  the  leafless  trees;  the  men  began  to  desert  in  squads,  and  the  camp  broke 
up.  Parkman  sums  up  the  campaign  in  a  phrase:  "  The  Crown  Point  expedition 
was  a  failure  disguised  under  an  incidental  success."  Johnson  had  changed  the 
name  of  Lake  George,  and  transformed  Fort  Lyman  into  Fort  Edward;  he  had 
built  Fort  William  Henry,  and  he  had  withstood  a  furious  onslaught  on  his  position, 
but  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  French.  He  knew, 
however,  how  to  take  the  tide  at  the  turn;  England  soon  rang  with  the  story  of  his 
bravery,  his  picturesque  career,  his  commanding  personality;  Parliament  gave  him 
the  substantial  recognition  of  five  thousand  pounds  and  the  King  made  him  a 
baronet ! 

The  French  took  advantage  of  the  period  of  inaction  which  followed  this 
indecisive  struggle  to  entrench  themselves  at  Ticonderoga,  where  two  thousand  men 
were  set  to  work  building  Fort  Carillon.  An  attempt  to  surprise  the  garrison  of 
Fort  William  Henry  was  foiled  by  the  energy  of  John  Stark,  one  of  the  picturesque 
figures  of  the  later  struggle,  whose  version  at  the  battle  of  Bennington  of  the  famous 
phrase  "  Victory  or  Westminster  Abbey  "  had  a  touch  of  Yankee  domesticity. 
Fort  William  Henry,  after  a  brave  resistance  under  command  of  the  spirited  Monro, 


156  State  of  New  York 


fell  into  the  hands  of  Montcalm.  The  story  of  the  massacre  which  followed  when 
the  French  lost  control  of  their  Indian  allies  is  the  most  terrible  in  the  history  of  a 
region  familiar  with  savage  atrocity.  Montcalm,  a  man  of  the  highest  standards 
of  honor,  begged  the  infuriated  Indians  to  kill  him  and  spare  the  English  who  were 
under  his  protection;  but  their  fury  was  not  stayed  until  they  were  met  by  an  escort 
sent  out  to  bring  in  the  fugitives.  For  many  decades  the  tradition  of  the  slaughter 
of  the  fated  column  that  set  out  from  Fort  William  Henry  for  Fort  Edward  was 
the  blackest  in  the  annals  of  the  colonies  and  a  lasting  grief  to  Montcalm. 

The  Decisive  Struggle 

The  decisive  struggle  begun  on  the  Monongahela  was  now  transferred  to  Lake 
Champlain.  In  our  history  it  is  known  as  the  French  and  Indian  War,  but  the  fight 
in  the  American  woods  was  part  of  the  world-wide  struggle  knovvTi  as  the  Seven 
Years*  War  —  one  of  those  conflicts  whose  tremendous  import  becomes  evident 
only  when  the  smoke  has  long  passed  from  the  battlefield  and  the  ultimate  results 
stand  revealed  in  the  light  of  history.  Voltaire's  remark  that  "  such  was  the  compli- 
cation of  political  interests  that  a  cannon-shot  fired  in  America  could  give  the  signal 
that  set  Europe  in  a  blaze  "  gains  dramatic  effect  when  we  remember  that  the  man 
who  fired  that  shot,  not  from  a  cannon,  but  from  a  musket,  was  George  Washington 
on  the  Western  frontier ;  the  noblest  figure  who  has  yet  appeared  in  the  New  World, 
unconspicuously  opening  the  gate  of  the  Great  West  and  the  gate  of  the  Far  East  in 
the  same  moment.  Parkman  sums  up  the  outcome  of  this  impressive  struggle  in  a 
few  pregnant  sentences:  "  The  Seven  Years'  War  made  England  what  she  is. 
It  crippled  the  commerce  of  her  rival,  ruined  France  in  two  continents,  and  blighted 
her  as  a  colonial  power.  It  gave  England  the  control  of  the  seas  and  the  mastery 
of  North  America  and  of  India,  made  her  the  first  of  commercial  nations,  and 
prepared  that  vast  colonial  system  that  has  planted  new  Englands  in  every  quarter 
of  the  globe.  And  while  it  made  England  what  she  is,  it  supplied  to  the  United 
States  the  indispensable  condition  of  their  greatness,  if  not  of  their  National 
existence." 

Montcalm 

In  the  New  World  the  "  far-flung  battle  line  "  extended  from  Acadia  to  Fort 
Duquesne,  on  the  Monongahela;  but  nowhere  were  the  incidents  more  dramatic  or 
the  fights  more  fierce  than  in  the  Champlain  valley.  And  in  the  history  of  colonial 
strife  there  is  no  more  spirited  and  gallant  figure  than  Louis  Joseph,  Marquis  de 
Montcalm,  the  protagonist  of  the  French  in  this  world-wide  contest.  A  native  of 
Nimes,  a  student  and  lover  of  the  Humanities,  trained  in  Latin  and  Greek,  a  devout 
reader   of  the   best   literature,   aspiring   to   membership   in   the   French   Academy, 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  157 


Montcalm  was  forty-four  years  old  when  he  appeared  at  Ticonderoga.  He  had 
already  served  with  distinction  in  the  French  army  and  gained  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  commander.  Behind  the  hardships,  dangers,  and  heroism  of  his  service  in 
America  one  sees  always  the  beautiful  home  in  the  fair  landscape  of  Provence,  the 
passionately  loved  wife,  the  group  of  children,  the  pleasant  garden  where  his  heart 
rested  in  infinite  content,  and  to  which  his  thoughts  traveled  with  infinite  longing 
until  that  September  day  when  he  fell  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  the  women 
crying  out  as  he  was  borne  through  the  gate  of  Quebec:  "  He  is  killed!  The 
Marquis  is  killed!  "  "  Do  not  weep  for  me,  my  children,"  he  answered;  "  it  is 
nothing."  And  when  he  was  told  that  the  wound  was  mortal:  "So  much  the 
better,"  he  said:  "  I  shall  not  live  to  see  Quebec  surrendered."  So  fell  the  curtain 
on  one  of  the  noble  figures  who  have  lighted  the  long  history  of  France  as  with 
clear-burning  torches  fed  by  self-sacrifice;  so  happily  fell  Wolfe  on  the  Heights  of 
Abraham,  sacred  to  the  memory  of  two  heroes  who  entered  into  immortality  through 
the  same  gate. 

But  Montcalm  had  great  labors  before  him  when  he  took  command  at  Ticon- 
deroga. On  the  4th  of  July,  I  758,  Lake  George  was  covered  by  a  vast  flotilla 
organized  by  General  Abercromby,  but  inspired  by  Lord  Howe,  bearing  the  largest 
army  that  had  yet  been  seen  in  America,  fifteen  thousand  strong,  to  the  northern  end 
of  the  lake,  whence  the  troops  moved  into  the  woods.  The  regiments  leading  the 
march  fell  into  disorder  in  the  dense  forests,  and  were  set  upon  by  a  party  of  French 
who  had  been  watching  them  from  a  hill;  the  main  body  of  the  English,  opportunely 
arriving,  cut  off  the  attacking  force  from  their  base.  The  French  commander,  a 
man  of  experience  in  woodcraft,  attempted  to  reach  Ticonderoga  by  a  circuit 
through  the  forest,  but  also  lost  his  bearings.  These  incidents  would  be  of  slight 
consequence  if  a  French  bullet  had  not  struck  Lord  Howe,  leading  the  English 
column,  ended  a  career  of  singular  promise,  and  wrecked  Abercromby's  movement. 
The  elder  brother  of  Viscount  Howe,  the  Admiral,  and  of  Sir  William  Howe, 
Washington's  antagonist  a  few  years  later,  the  young  officer  who  fell  in  an  other- 
wise unimportant  skirmish  between  Lake  George  and  Ticonderoga,  had  touched  the 
imagination  and  won  the  hearts  of  the  colonists.  He  had  made  himself  the  comrade 
of  his  troops,  and  adopted  their  methods  of  fighting  instead  of  insisting  on  repeating 
in  American  forests  the  tactics  of  Old  World  campaigns  in  the  open  country.  A 
wave  of  sorrow  swept  the  country  when  the  news  of  his  death  came,  and  a  monu- 
ment placed  in  Westminster  by  Massachusetts  attests  the  singular  and  tender  regard 
in  which  he  was  held. 


158  State  of  New  York 


The  Defeat  at  Ticonderoga 

When  Lord  Howe  fell  in  the  woods  as  Colonel  Williams  had  fallen  before  him 
the  soul  went  out  of  the  army.  The  capture  of  the  wandering  French  regiments 
was  a  small  gain  compared  with  the  loss  of  a  brilliant  leader.  Montcalm  quickly 
supplemented  and  strengthened  his  position  by  throwing  up  a  barricade  of  trees 
which  hid  and  protected  his  men  on  the  ridge  which  rises  northwest  of  Ticonderoga, 
and  covered  the  approaches  with  densely  interwoven  boughs.  A  quick-witted 
antagonist  might  have  made  this  position  untenable  by  seizing  Mount  Defiance;  but 
General  Abercromby  was  not  quick-witted.  Misled  by  a  report  that  Montcalm  was 
about  to  be  reinforced  and  making  the  fatal  blunder  of  underrating  the  genius  of 
Montcalm  and  the  fighting  qualities  of  the  French,  he  ordered  an  assault  in  the 
most  difficult  and  perilous  form,  a  solid  bayonet  charge  —  a  form  of  attack 
obviously  impossible.  But  Abercromby,  like  some  other  commanders  of  that  and 
later  periods,  took  no  account  of  conditions  and  accepted  no  advice  from  colonists, 
and  sent  his  troops  to  death  in  a  hopeless  task.  Caught  in  the  tangle  of  boughs, 
swept  by  grape  and  shot,  the  English  and  the  colonists  flung  themselves  through 
the  long,  hot  July  afternoon  with  desperate  and  despairing  valor  against  the  deadly 
network  in  front  of  the  barricades,  only  to  be  driven  back,  shattered  and  broken. 
When  night  fell  two  thousand  men,  dead  or  wounded,  had  paid  the  terrible  price 
of  Abercromby's  dullness.  When  the  story  of  this  disastrous  battle  was  told,  with 
accounts  of  the  hasty  retreat  to  Fort  William  Henry,  the  colonists  revenged  them- 
selves by  caUing  the  incompetent  commander  "  Mrs.  Nabbycrombie." 

There  were  brighter  days  for  English  rule  in  the  near  future;  Louisburg  was  to 
be  taken  for  the  last  time,  Duquesne  was  to  be  abandoned,  Niagara  and  Fort 
Frontenac  were  to  pass  into  English  hands,  and  Wolfe  was  to  climb  the  steep  ascent 
to  victory  at  Quebec;  but  the  curtain  drops  on  the  second  act  in  the  drama  of  race 
struggle  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain. 

The  Colonists  in  Arms 

When  it  rose  again  the  stage  setting  was  unchanged,  but  one  group  of  actors 
had  disappeared  and  the  other  group,  long  acting  together,  had  become  antagonists. 
The  French  and  Indian  War  established  English  authority  in  Canada,  but  weakened 
it  in  the  colonies.  The  colonists,  separated  by  long  distances  and  slow  methods  of 
transit,  were  divided  one  from  another  by  local  ignorance,  provincial  jealousies, 
differences  of  conviction  in  matters  of  religion,  statecraft,  education,  and  social 
order;  the  struggle  on  the  long  frontier  had  made  them  aware  of  a  common  danger 
and  accustomed  them  to  community  of  action.     Franklin's  statesmanlike  plan  for 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  159 


union  was  in  advance  of  public  opinion,  but  events  were  fast  ripening  the  colonial 
mind  for  this  larger  conception  of  pohtical  life  in  the  New  World.  The  years  fol- 
lov/ing  the  struggle  with  the  French  were  full  of  agitation  and  growing  restlessness. 
A  home  government  carried  on  by  a  few  men  ignorant  of  vital  conditions  across  the 
Atlantic  and  of  the  temper  of  the  high-spirited,  freedom-loving  Englishmen  on  the 
edges  of  the  undeveloped  continent,  and  a  great  group  of  colonists,  sensitive,  inde- 
pendent, restless  under  a  rule  which  was  un-English  in  spirit  and  largely  in  method, 
involved  ultimately  an  appeal  to  arms,  and  the  War  of  the  American  Revolution 
took  its  place  as  a  phase  of  the  struggle  for  popular  government  among  the  English- 
speaking  peoples.  In  its  inception  not  a  conflict  between  two  peoples  but  between 
a  small  party  at  home  and  a  dominant  majority  beyond  seas,  it  inevitably  grew  into 
a  decisive  trial  of  strength,  bred  deep  misunderstandings,  created  passionate 
antagonisms,  and  turned  the  very  kinship  of  the  contestants  into  a  source  of  bitter- 
ness. Time  and  distance,  making  possible  that  larger  perspective  in  which  events 
assume  their  true  proportions  and  relations,  and  the  acts  of  men  stand  revealed  in 
their  motives,  have  wrought  their  ancient  and  beautiful  miracle  of  healing,  and 
brought  in  that  knowledge  which  is  the  unshakable  foundation  of  friendship  and 
respect.  "  How  can  I  hate  him?  "  said  Charles  Lamb  of  one  of  the  most  unpopular 
men  of  his  day;  "  how  can  I  hate  him?  I  know  him."  In  the  light  of  this  knowl- 
edge we  celebrate  to-day  the  common  sincerity  and  courage  of  those  who  faced  one 
another  on  almost  half  a  hundred  fields,  and  recognize  that  larger  movement  of 
events  which  makes  those  who  call  themselves  enemies  fight  together  in  the  great  war 
for  the  emancipation  of  humanity. 

The  Struggle  to  Command  the  Lake 

During  the  years  that  followed  I  775  scene  after  scene  was  enacted  on  Lake 
Champlain,  and  the  curtain  drops  only  to  rise  again  on  some  new  incident,  some 
daring  exploit,  some  decisive  achievement.  It  was  the  stage  of  many  striking 
episodes,  and  it  found  its  place  in  the  largest  strategical  schemes  for  the  suppression 
of  the  revolt  of  the  colonists.  In  this  brief  survey  these  events  can  be  recalled  only 
in  a  series  of  rapidly  drawn  sketches.  The  colonists  had  gone  to  Canada  more  than 
once  in  the  days  of  French  dominion,  and  when  hostilities  broke  out  the  thoughts  of 
the  New  England  patriots  turned  swiftly  to  the  north.  At  the  very  beginning  of 
the  struggle  a  dashing  exploit  stirred  the  blood  of  the  whole  country.  Benedict 
Arnold  eagerly  advocated  an  expedition  against  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point, 
and  went  to  Berkshire  to  raise  men  to  carry  the  project  into  effect.  There  he  found 
himself  forestalled  by  Ethan  Allen,  a  leader  among  the  "  Green  Mountain  Boys," 
who  were  banded  together  to  resist  the  encroachments  of  New  York,  and  a  typical 
<  colonial  American  in  his  sturdy  self-reliance,  his  celerity  of  action,  and  his  impartial 


160  State  of  New  York 


indifference  to  the  formalities  of  peace  or  war.  This  picturesque  fighter  was  acting 
partly  on  his  own  authority  and  partly  on  the  authority  of  Connecticut,  and  declined 
to  recognize  the  claim  of  Arnold  to  the  command  of  the  expedition.  Thereupon 
Arnold,  who  was  more  eager  to  fight  than  to  hold  office,  joined  the  expedition  as  a 
volunteer.  At  daybreak  on  May  1 0th  Allen  and  Arnold  crossed  the  lake  with 
eighty-three  men  and  unceremoniously  broke  the  slumbers  of  the  Ticonderoga  gar- 
rison. When  the  English  officer  in  command,  rudely  called  from  his  bed,  asked 
Allen  under  whose  authority  he  acted,  tradition  puts  into  his  mouth  the  brave 
words,  "  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Congress."  The 
exact  phraseology  of  Wellington  at  Waterloo,  of  Washington  when  he  met  Charles 
Lee  at  Monmouth,  and  of  Ethan  Allen  on  that  historic  morning  is  of  small  conse- 
quence; Allen,  by  deed  and  in  word,  fired  the  imagination  of  the  thirteen  colonies 
and  gave  ringing  voice  to  their  spirit  and  purpose.  Later  in  the  year  a  colonial  force 
was  at  Ticonderoga,  and  news  came  that  Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  planning,  with  the 
Iroquois,  to  make  an  attack  from  Canada;  a  counter-attack  upon  Montreal  was 
promptly  undertaken,  and  late  in  August,  1775,  General  Richard  Montgomery, 
one  of  the  finest  tempered  men  of  his  time,  with  two  thousand  men,  advanced  quickly 
from  Ticonderoga  to  Fort  St.  Johns,  and  two  months  later  entered  Montreal,  and 
issued  a  proclamation  urging  the  Canadians  to  send  delegates  at  once  to  the  Conti- 
nental Congress;  a  delightfully  picturesque  example  of  American  optimism  and  an 
expression,  premature  in  time  and  ineffective  in  form,  of  the  lasting  friendship  which 
was  to  come  between  the  Dominion  and  the  United  States.  Benedict  Arnold,  who, 
in  the  opening  days  of  his  career,  was  the  soul  of  alert  audacity  and  uncalculating 
daring,  made  a  heroic  march  meantime  through  dense  forests  and  across  turbulent 
streams  and  climbed  the  Heights  of  Abraham  the  day  after  Montgomery  entered 
Montreal.  Quebec  declined  to  surrender,  Carleton  escaped  from  Montreal  in  dis- 
guise and  took  command  of  the  beleaguered  city,  and  Montgomery  was  forced  to 
come  to  the  aid  of  Arnold.  In  a  heavy  snowstorm,  at  the  darkest  hour  before  davm 
on  the  last  day  of  the  year,  the  two  commanders  made  assaults  on  two  sides  of  the 
town,  and  both  fell  at  what  promised  to  be  the  moment  of  success.  Arnold  was 
carried  from  the  field  severely  wounded;  and  a  company  of  Virginians,  under  a 
commander  as  gallant  as  themselves,  drove  themselves  like  a  wedge  into  the  heart 
of  the  city.  But  Montgomery  lay  dead  beyond  the  walls,  and  the  audacious  expe- 
dition ended  in  disaster.  The  return  of  Montgomery  to  New  York,  borne  in  state 
dowTi  the  Hudson,  past  the  balcony  where  his  devoted  wife  stood  to  honor  him,  is 
one  of  the  beautiful  traditions  of  war,  and  his  monument  in  St.  Paul's  churchyard 
in  the  heart  of  New  York  is  a  perpetual  reminder  to  the  throngs  that  pass  and  repass 
on  lower  Broadway  that  success  lies  not  in  getting  but  in  giving,  not  in  hoarding 
but  in  spending.     Frederick  the  Great,  the  first  military  authority  of  his  time,  praised 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  161 


Montgomery's  generalship,  and  Arnold  became  a  popular  hero  on  both  sides  the 
Atlantic.  English  schoolboys  saw  his  portrait  in  shop  windows  in  little  English 
towns,  and  knew  the  story  of  his  daring. 

Benedict  Arnold 

New  York  became  the  center  of  operations,  as  it  was  the  center  of  the  colonial 
system,  and  the  plan  to  strike  the  colonies  and  break  them  into  fragments  by  seizing 
New  York  city  and  sending  a  large  force  up  the  Hudson  to  meet  and  co-operate  with 
Sir  Guy  Carleton  moving  down  from  Canada,  recapturing  Ticonderoga,  and  taking 
possession  of  the  Mohawk  valley,  if  it  had  been  successfully  carried  out,  might  have 
brought  overwhelming  disaster  to  the  colonists'  cause.  When  summer  came  Sir  Guy 
had  twelve  thousand  men  afloat  on  the  upper  lake,  and  Arnold  was  working  with 
furious  energy  at  a  little  fleet  manufactured  out  of  hand  in  Vermont.  In  September, 
three  schooners,  two  sloops,  three  galleys,  and  eight  other  craft  lay  off  Valcour 
Island  waiting  for  the  English  army  from  the  north,  and  on  the  I  I  th  day  of  October, 
English  and  American  seamen  met  for  the  first  time  in  those  many  trials  of  strength 
which  have  been  conspicuous  for  valor  and  skill  on  both  sides.  After  a  day  of 
desperate  fighting,  Arnold's  little  squadron  had  inflicted  heavy  injuries  on  Sir  Guy's 
fleet,  but  was  itself  almost  disabled.  Its  commander's  genius,  compounded  in  equal 
measure  of  swift  insight  and  swifter  action,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  carried  his 
flotilla  through  the  English  lines,  made  for  Crovm  Point,  and  was  not  overtaken 
until  near  that  haven.  He  sent  the  fleet  with  every  inch  of  canvas  spread  to  Crown 
Point,  met  three  of  the  largest  of  Sir  Guy's  ships,  fought  four  hours  with  desperate 
courage,  ran  his  sinking  schooner  covered  with  dead  and  dying  men  into  a  small 
creek  and  set  her  afire,  her  flag  flying  until  the  flames  plucked  it  down.  A  little 
later  his  whole  force  was  in  Ticonderoga.  Sir  Guy,  having  gained  control  of  the 
lake,  withdrew  his  army. 

BURGOYNE  AT  TiCONDEROGA 

A  second  plan  of  campaign  was  formulated  and  again  New  York  was  the  scene 
of  action.  An  army  was  to  descend  as  before  on  Ticonderoga,  a  second  force  was 
to  land  at  Oswego,  take  possession  of  the  Mohawk  valley  and  join  the  invading 
party  from  Lake  Champlain,  while  Sir  William  Howe  was  to  ascend  the  Hudson 
with  the  main  army  and  meet  the  two  forces  from  the  north  at  Albany.  On  the 
second  anniversary  of  Bunker  Hill  General  Burgoyne  appeared  before  Ticonderoga 
with  an  army  of  nearly  eight  thousand  men,  half  of  them  British  regulars  commanded 
by  officers  of  tried  capacity.  The  fort  was  regarded  by  the  colonists  as  impregnable, 
and  General  St.  Clair  held  it  confidently  with  less  than  half  the  number  of  his 
12 


162  State  of  New  York 


opponents.  As  has  often  happened  since  the  days  of  Achilles,  there  was  one  vulner- 
able spot:  a  crag  a  mile  to  the  south  offered  an  altitude  from  which  the  fort  could 
be  swept  by  cannon.  General  Phillips,  one  of  Burgoyne's  most  skillful  officers,  saw 
the  weak  point  in  the  situation  of  the  American  force.  "  Where  a  goat  can  go  a 
man  may  go;  and  where  a  man  can  go  he  can  haul  up  a  gun,"  said  Phillips,  and 
under  his  gallant  leadership  the  men  went  and  hauled  up  the  guns  with  them,  and  on 
the  morning  of  July  5th  there  they  stood,  red-coated  and  triumphant,  on  Mount 
Defiance.  St.  Clair  had  his  choice  of  surrender  or  escape,  and,  being  a  sensible  per- 
son he  reversed  the  English  action  and  stole  across  the  lake  in  the  darkness.  General 
Fraser  went  hot-footed  after  the  Americans,  overtook  the  rear-guard  near  the  village 
of  Hubbardtown,  was  falling  back  after  a  sharp  engagement,  when  he  was  rein- 
forced, turned,  and  routed  the  retreating  forces.  Ticonderoga  again  changed  hands 
and  there  were  those  in  England  who  thought  the  fight  was  won;  in  the  colonies 
there  were  profound  discouragement  and  the  usual  prompt  and  unintelligent  criti- 
cisms. General  Schuyler,  who  was  in  command  of  the  department,  especially  suf- 
fered; but  Schuyler  was  of  a  purity  and  steadfastness  which,  sooner  or  later,  emerge 
the  whiter  for  the  testing  of  self-control  and  patience. 

Leaving  a  large  force  at  Ticonderoga,  General  Burgoyne  set  out  on  the  campaign 
which  reflected  great  credit  on  his  courage  but  brought  irretrievable  disaster  to  his 
army,  wrecked  the  plan  to  divide  the  colonies,  and  made  the  final  success  of  the 
Americans  possible.  A  brave  and  gallant  soldier,  a  kindly  and  tender-hearted  man, 
it  was  his  unhappy  fate,  probably  under  orders  from  London,  to  employ  Indian 
allies,  and  he  tried  to  pledge  them  to  civilized  warfare  by  forbidding  the  killing  of 
old  men,  of  women,  and  of  children,  and  the  scalping  of  living  prisoners.  When 
these  injunctions  were  read  in  England,  Burke,  who  with  Charles  James  Fox  and  a 
small  group  of  the  ablest  public  men  of  the  time,  exercised  for  Americans  that  right 
of  representation  in  Parliament  which  was  part  of  the  American  contention,  made 
one  of  his  most  striking  speeches.  "  Suppose  that  there  was  a  riot  on  Tower  Hill," 
he  said;  "  what  would  the  keeper  of  his  Majesty's  lions  do?  Would  he  not  fling 
open  the  dens  of  the  wild  beasts  and  address  them  thus?  '  My  gentle  lions,  my 
humane  bears,  my  tender-hearted  hyenas,  go  forth!  But  I  exhort  you,  as  you  are 
Christians  and  members  of  civilized  society,  to  take  care  not  to  hurt  any  man, 
woman,  or  child.'  " 

The  story  of  the  campaign  which  ended  in  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne's  army,  of 
Schuyler's  noble  patience  and  more  than  Roman  dignity,  of  Arnold's  daring  and 
splendid  self-forgetfulness,  crying  out  as  he  fell  with  a  shattered  leg  to  the  man  who 
would  have  driven  a  bayonet  into  his  assailant,  "  For  God's  sake,  don't  hurt  him; 
he's  a  fine  fellow,"  does  not  belong  to  the  Champlain  valley,  though  so  closely 
associated  with  it.     It  was  the  tragedy  of  the  Revolution  that  Arnold  did  not  die 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  163 


on  that  heroic  day  when  he  was  the  lion  of  the  American  army,  the  idol  of  the 
American  people,  the  friend  of  Washington,  the  dauntless  hero  of  Quebec  and 
Saratoga.  The  Arnold  of  Lake  Champlain  is  the  most  brilliant  figure  of  the 
Revolution;  if  he  could  have  died  then,  with  what  words  of  love  and  honor  we 
should  celebrate  him  to-day!     Now  we  cover  him  and  turn  our  faces  away. 

The  Battle  of  Plattsburgh 

With  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  the  tide  of  war  rolled  southward,  and  for 
almost  a  generation  Lake  Champlain  knew  no  fiercer  struggles  than  those  between 
the  elements.  When  the  War  of  1812  began,  there  were  two  gunboats  in  a  harbor 
on  the  Vermont  side;  during  the  summer  this  force  was  reinforced  by  two  sloops 
and  four  scows;  an  improvised  fleet,  ridiculous  in  size  and  armament,  but  a  flexible 
and  effective  tool  in  the  hands  of  a  skillful  and  daring  commander  of  the  energy  of 
Commodore  Macdonough.  The  flagship  of  this  tiny  squadron,  the  Saratoga,  car- 
ried twenty-six  guns;  the  English  flagship,  the  Confiance,  thirty-seven  guns.  In  the 
judgment  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  the  control  of  the  lake  was  vital  to  the 
success  of  the  invasion  which  was  to  inflict  a  crushing  blow  on  the  Americans.  An 
army  of  nearly  fourteen  thousand  men  was  massed  on  the  frontier  under  the  com- 
mand of  Sir  George  Prevost.  On  the  last  day  of  August  this  force  crossed  the  line 
and  marched  without  opposition  to  Chazy,  entering  Plattsburgh  on  the  evening  of 
September  6th,  General  Macomb  retreating  across  the  river  and  taking  up  the  bridges. 
The  decisive  moment  was  at  hand,  and  could  be  made  decisive  only  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  American  fleet.  On  the  I  I  th  day  of  September  the  fleet  was  at  anchor 
in  Cumberland  Bay;  General  Macomb,  with  less  than  five  thousand  men,  was 
intrenched  on  the  Bay  in  such  a  position  as  to  support  the  fleet  but  unable  to  fire  on 
the  English  vessels  without  endangering  the  American  ships.  The  bay,  two  miles 
wide,  afforded  sufficient  room  for  the  maneuvering  of  the  diminutive  squadrons.  The 
English  fleet  came  up  with  a  north  tide  from  Cumberland  Head,  the  Confiance  with 
her  battery  of  thirty-seven  guns  leading  the  way,  followed  by  the  Linnet,  the  Chub, 
and  the  Finch,  supported  by  eleven  gunboats.  TTie  Confiance  was  to  engage  the 
Saratoga,  giving  the  Eagle  a  broadside  as  she  passed  on  her  way;  while  the  Linnet 
and  Chub  were  to  close  with  the  Eagle.  Three  English  ships  were  to  meet  the  two 
strongest  American  vessels,  while  the  Finch,  with  the  gunboats,  was  to  engage  the 
American  rear.  The  American  gunboats  were  stationed  between  the  shore  and  the 
fleet  and  were  negligible  in  the  result.  The  English  fleet  rounded  Cumberland 
Head  on  the  morning  of  the  1  I  th,  the  Finch  leading  the  way,  followed  by  the 
Confiance,  Linnet,  and  Chub.  The  Confiance  promptly  attacked  the  Eagle,  drew 
fire  of  the  entire  American  fleet,  the  wind  failed  and  she  was  unable  to  execute  the 


i64  State  of  New  York 


plan  of  action,  but  her  first  broadside  killed  one-fifth  of  the  Saratogas  crew;  the 
Linnet  performed  her  part  by  engaging  the  Eagle,  but  the  Chub  suffered  such 
damage  that  she  drifted  through  the  American  lines  and  pulled  down  her  flag.  The 
Linnet,  strongly  handled,  drove  the  Eagle  from  the  line.  The  Finch  drifted 
ashore  a  mile  south  of  the  fighting  ground  and  kept  her  flag  at  the  mast  after  her 
consorts  had  surrendered.  The  fight  became  a  contest  between  the  Saratoga  and  the 
Eagle  on  the  American  side  and  the  Confiance  and  Linnet  on  the  English  side,  and 
it  was  fought  to  a  finish  in  two  hours  and  twenty  minutes.  The  Eagle,  practically 
silenced  on  one  side,  ran  down  the  line,  swung  her  effective  side  toward  the  enemy, 
and  kept  up  a  destructive  fire  on  the  Confiance.  The  Saratoga,  similarly  disabled 
on  the  starboard  side,  followed  the  tactics  of  the  Eagle,  fighting  with  one  arm  after 
the  other  had  been  made  useless.  The  Confiance,  bereft  of  her  ropes  and  anchors, 
was  unable  to  maneuver,  and,  with  only  four  guns  workable,  finally  struck  her 
colors,  followed  fifteen  minutes  after  by  the  Linnet.  It  was  a  gallant  fight  and  the 
English  and  American  seamen,  who  are  now  cheering  one  another  in  the  harbors 
of  the  world,  eager,  it  may  be  suspected,  to  stand  by  in  any  hour  of  need,  fought 
with  the  desperate  courage  and  native  aptitude  for  struggle  on  the  high  seas  which 
have  placed  the  two  modern  navies,  on  a  great  disparity  so  far  as  numbers  are  con- 
cerned, on  the  same  footing  so  far  as  gallantry  and  skill  are  concerned.  So  ended 
the  battle  of  Plattsburgh  and  the  long  history  of  armies  and  fleets,  of  the  roar  of 
cannon  and  tumult  of  battle,  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain.  Even  then  the 
light  of  a  happier  day  was  in  the  east.  A  contemporary  record  reads  in  this  wise: 
"  The  wounded  of  both  fleets,  and  our  army,  the  same  evening,  were  landed  at  our 
cantonment  on  the  island.  The  enemy  was  not  neglected;  prompt  assistance  was 
indiscriminately  rendered.  Those  who  had  but  one  hour  previous  been  deadly  foes, 
now  lodged  by  each  other's  side,  like  brothers  and  friends,  giving  and  receiving  the 
tenderest  words  of  consolation." 

Almost  a  century  has  passed  since  hostile  fleets  made  the  hills  echo  with  the 
thunder  of  their  guns,  and  armies  fought  their  perilous  ways  through  the  wilderness. 
To-day  these  are  memories  of  "  far-off,  unhappy  things  and  battles  long  ago."  A 
hundred  years  of  peace  have  come  and  gone  and  brought  prosperity  of  hand  and 
brain,  of  field  and  craft,  of  knowledge  and  religion.  Colonial  towns  have  become 
cities,  and  twoscore  villages  look  out  from  under  shaded  streets  to  the  great  hills 
whence  cometh  our  help.  Health,  rest,  and  pleasure  have  found  the  valley  of  the 
lake  one  of  those  fastnesses  of  peace  and  beauty  which,  like  the  Garden  of  the 
Hesperides,  the  fair  land  of  the  Phaeacians,  the  forest  of  Arden,  are  refuges  of  the 
spirit  from  the  turmoil  and  care,  the  toil  and  weariness,  of  the  working  world.  But 
nobler  than  all  other  prosperities  that  have  come  to  this  beautiful  valley,  to  this 
lovely  lake  around  which  the  hills  keep  watch  and  ward,  is  that  spirit  of  brotherhood. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  165 

that  larger  and  diviner  thought  of  hfe,  which  to-day  bring  together  Indian,  French- 
man, Englishman,  Canadian,  American,  ancient  foes  become  modern  friends;  their 
rivalries  the  contests  of  skill  and  industry,  their  differences  those  divergences  of 
talent  and  temperament  which  give  society  its  endless  variety  and  interest,  their  com- 
petitions the  struggles  of  those  who  run  together  for  the  prizes  of  life,  their  growing 
rest  in  faith  in  one  another  the  prophecy  of  that  happier  age  which  is  already  at  our 
doors. 

Fair  France:  protagonist  of  liberty  through  tragic  or  peaceful  years,  fearless  to 
face  the  destiny  to  which  her  ardent  spirit  leads  her,  lover  of  beauty  and  tireless 
artificer  of  the  things  of  art,  swift  to  believe  in  the  greatness  of  humanity  and  slow 
to  give  up  her  vision  of  equality  and  fraternity  —  how  much  does  civilization  owe 
to  her  intrepid  spirit,  her  dauntless  heart,  her  restless  energy!  Manners,  freedom, 
power  —  they  are  all  hers,  and  ours  because  they  are  hers !  England,  the  garden 
of  the  world,  in  whose  shaded  lanes,  venerable  colleges,  stately  homes,  and  soaring 
cathedrals  the  American  finds  the  background  of  his  early  associations,  the  shrines 
of  the  language  he  speaks  and  the  literature  to  which  he  is  heir;  England,  ripe  with 
the  beauty  of  age  but  strong  in  unwasted  energy  of  spirit;  rarely  without  her  vision, 
never  without  her  task;  poet  with  her  Shakespeare,  sailor  with  her  Nelson,  soldier 
with  her  Wolfe,  statesman  with  her  Chatham,  organizer  and  ruler  with  her  Cromer! 
Canada,  home  of  two  races  and  happy  in  their  comradeship,  builder  of  stately  cities, 
of  growing  universities,  reaper  of  a  prosperity  won  by  hardy  toil  and  sturdy  self- 
reliance,  a  Dominion  swiftly  passing  into  an  empire!  TTie  Indian,  survivor  of  a 
people  whose  story  is  the  tragedy  of  the  undeveloped  in  the  path  of  the  organized 
race;  victim  of  the  law  which  impels  alike  the  aggressor  and  the  exiled;  oppressed 
that  others  might  be  free!  The  United  States,  the  host  of  the  day,  and  proud  of 
the  friends  who  keep  the  festival  of  peace  on  her  soil;  warden  of  the  open  gate; 
keeper  of  the  open  house;  eager,  impulsive,  often  blundering,  always  bearing  in  her 
heart  that  faith  in  man  which  is  faith  in  God,  flowering  in  the  furrows  of  time  and 
toil!      (Applause.) 

Chairivian  Hill  —  We  are  now  to  listen  to  an  original  ballad  entitled 
"  Ticonderoga,"  by  Percy  MacKaye,  of  Cornish,  New  Hampshire. 

Mr.  MacKaye  delivered  his  poem,  as  follows: 


166  State  of  New  York 

TICONDEROGA 

A  BALLAD 

By  Percy  MacKaye,  of  Cornish,  New  Hampshire. 

(From    "Poems'*    by    Percy    McKaye,    copyright    1909,   by    Macmillan    Company,    reprinled    by 
special  permission  of  the  publishers.) 

I 

IVhat  spirits  conjure  thee  from  time, 

Ticonderoga? 
On  th^  headland  rocJ( 
Of  history. 

Who  are  these  that  kr^ock 
And  summon  thee 
To  move  thine  ancient  lips  in  rhyme, 

Ticonderoga? 

Where  the  wind-blown  swallows 

Veer  and  vary. 

Where  the  shore  and  shallows 

Lie  visionary. 

Titans  three 

Stand  at  my  knee: 

Each  one  is  a  Century. 

In  their  shadow,  silently. 

Sits  the  sibyl  Memory. 

And  her  silence  questions  me: 

II 

Who  glide  so  dim  upon  the  lake, 

Ticonderoga? 
Over  their  dreaming  prorv 
The  morning  star 
Blazes  their  goal;  but  non»  — 
More  dusk  and  far  — 
What  old  world  drvindles  in  their  n»a^e, 

Ticonderoga? 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  167 


The  fleur-de-lis,  the  fleur-de-lis! 

The  White  Chevalier  —  lo,  'tis  he! 

His  pale  canoe  along  the  tide 

The  painted  Huron  paddles  guide 

With  dumb,  subdued  elation; 

The  wild  dawn  stains  their  bodies  bare. 

The  wild  dawn  gleams  about  his  hair; 

Steeped  in  his  soul's  adventure,  lie 

The  valleys  of  discovery  — 

The  peaks  of  expectation. 

Midway  the  lake  they  pause:  on  high 

His  arm  he  raises  solemnly. 

Above  the  lilies,  that  emboss 

His  azure  banner,  and  the  pied 

Algonquin  plumes  that  float  beside. 

He  holds  the  shining  cross. 

"  Champlain!  "     The  placid  word 

The  mute  air  hath  not  stirred. 

Touched  by  the  morning's  wing 

The  ruddied  waters,  quickening. 

Alone  are  kindled  by  that  christening. 

Quaint  splendors  mass 

Within  the  lake's  clear  glass. 

And  liquid  lilies  golden  run 

In  rose  gules  of  the  rising  sun. 

Naught  else  there  of  acclaim 

Greets  the  great  Chevalier's  name. 

Save  where  the  water-fowl's  primeval  broods 

Awake  Bulwagga's  lone  and  echoing  solitudes. 

Ill 

Whal  strident  horror  breads  th^  spell, 

Ticonderoga? 
What  long  and  ululating  y^ell? 

The  Iroquois:  in  covert  glade 
They  build  their  pine-bough  palisade. 
And  weave  in  trance 
Their  sachem  dance 


168  State  of  New  York 


With  hawk-screams  of  their  heathen  wars. 

Till  naked  on  my  shrilling  shores 

Maqua  and  wild  Algonquin  meet 

And  taunt,  with  fleer  and  blown  conceit. 

Each  other's  painted  ranks: 

But  lo !  where  now  their  flanks 

Give  way  and  reel ! 

And  mid  the  silent  sagamores. 

In  shining  cuish  and  casque  of  steel. 

Before  them  all 

Stands  bright  and  tall. 

With  gauntlet  clenched  and  helmet  viced. 

The  calm  knight-errant  of  the  Christ; 

Then,  in  sign  miraculous. 

Levels  his  arquebus. 

And,  charged  with  bullets  from  his  bandoleer. 

Looses  the  bolt  of  preternatural  thunder. 

A  sachem  falls:  the  wild  men  stare  in  wonder 

And  mazed  fear; 

Once  more  his  engine  peals,  and  hurls  the  fire 

Whose  flash  shall  kindle  continents  to  ire. 

IV 

Like  sanguine  clouds  at  sunsel  spread 
The  ages  slumber  round  th^  head, 

Ticonderoga! 
Tremendous  forms 
Loom  in  their  dreams : 
Through  levin-light  of  starless  storms. 
By  giant  fords  of  chartless  streams, 
Saxon  and  Caul 
Wrestle  and  rise  and  fall. 
Conquering  the  region  aboriginal. 
Hark!    From  the  long  tides  of  Lake  Ceorge, 
What  rolling  drum-heat  rumbles  through  thy  gorge, 

Ticonderoga? 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  169 


O  why  should  woman  weep  for  war? 
Or  man  —  why  should  it  vex  him  more? 
Or  why  beside  so  sweet  a  shore 

Dreadful  should  the  drum  be? 

O  clear  the  snorting  trumpets  neigh. 
And  blithe  the  squealing  bagpipes  play ! 
O  red  the  redcoats  on  the  bay. 
Sailing  with  Abercrombie! 

A  thousand  bateaux  floating  glide 
And  flaunt  their  banners  sheen; 

Calm  isles  swim  by  on  the  summer  tide 
Clad  in  their  birchen  green. 

Lord  Howe  he  lies  on  a  rude  bearskin 

Beneath  the  pleasant  sky; 
Says:      "  Never  day  hath  fairer  been 

For  one's  dear  land  to  die." 

Says:     "  Tell  me  true  now,  gallant  Stark, 
What  trail  may  foil  the  Frenchmen? 

Where  should  our  redcoats  disembark 

To  rout  Montcalm  his  henchmen?  " 

"  A  troutbrook  once  I  fished.  Lord  Howe, 
To  fry  my  catch  in  bacon: 
Along  that  trail.  Sir,  I'll  allow 
Ticonderoga's  taken." 

O  what  so  wildly  fair  as  war! 
From  dancing  skiff  and  dripping  oar 
Land  dowTi  on  yonder  dreamy  shore 
And  drowsy  let  the  drum  be. 

O  proud  as  life  the  far  crag's  Hush! 
And  sweet  as  youth  —  the  hermit-thrush ! 
O  deep  as  death  the  dark  wood's  hush. 
Marching  with  Abercrombie ! 


170  State  of  New  York 


"  Our  trail  grows  blind,  good  Putnam:  draw 
More  close  your  forest  rangers. 
By  yonder  balsam  [hark!]   I  saw  — 

Who  calls  there  —  friends  or  strangers?  * 

"  A  mile  hence  runs  a  mill.  Lord  Howe : 
Might  be  the  Frenchers  sawing; 
Or  likely.  Sir,  ye  heard  yon  crow 

Round  Roger's  Rock  a-cawing." 

Qui  vi'veP     Their  muskets  flare  the  wood; 

Franga'is!     Their  wild  cheers  start: 
Lord  Howe  is  dropt  down  where  he  stood, 

A  hot  ball  through  his  heart. 

They  drive  them  back,  they  drown  their  boasl 
In  blood  and  the  rushing  river. 

But  the  heart  of  Abercrombie's  host  — 
The  Lord  of  Hosts  deliver! 


Said  is  prayer  and  sung  is  psalm; 

In  the  moonlight  waits  Montcalm. 

Felled  is  tree  and  sunk  is  trench; 

On  their  ramparts  rests  the  French. 

Moon  is  waned  and  night  is  gone. 

And  the  plateau,  in  the  dawn, 

Slrown  with  strange  gigantic  wrack. 

Bristles  like  a  wild  boar's  back. 

Horrid  shagg'd  with  monstrous  spines 

Of  splintered  oaks  and  tangled  pines. 

Where  last  night  the  setting  sun 

Placid  forest  looked  upon. 

In  its  place  the  sunrise  sees 

Rubble  heaps  of  writhen  trees. 

Boughs  —  that  hid  the  shy  bird's  nest  — 

Sharpened  for  a  soldier's  breast. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  171 


Hot  soars  the  sun:  in  dove-white  swarms 
Cluster  the  dazzling  uniforms 
Along  the  earthworks;  distant  shines 
The  vanguard  of  the  English  lines. 
Scarlet  from  the  sombre  firs 
They  start  like  sudden  tanagers. 
And  smoothly  sweep  the  open  glade 
Toward  the  abatis.      There,  waylaid. 
They  flounder  midst  the  galling  heap 
Of  tumbled  branches,  where  they  leap 
And  crawl,  as  mid  some  huge  morass, 
Like  locusts  in  storm-beaten  grass. 
The  looming  breastworks  now  they  see 
But  still  no  foemen.     Suddenly, 
Blinding  the  noon,  a  dusk  of  smoke 
Blooms,  and  the  roaring  air  hath  broke 
In  hurricanes  of  scorching  hail. 
Through  which,  to  dying  eyes  that  quail. 
Falls  the  round  sun  —  a  fiery  grail. 

Vive  le  Roi!  rings  from  the  wall 
Of  flame:     Vive  noire  General ! 

Choked  by  the  fury  and  the  fire. 
The  rended  English  rank  suspire 
A  moment's  pause,  then  maddened  rush 
Stifling  through  the  giant  brush. 
Where,  trapped  in  pits  of  jagged  spars. 
Rangers  and  yelling  regulars 
Struggle  to  shoot  and  strain  to  see 
The  blithe  and  viewless  enemy. 

Vive  le  Roi!  shrilly  the  call 
Rings  clear:     Vive  noire  General! 

Whirled  from  the  zigzag  bastion's  scarp. 
The  hellish  crossfire  weaves  its  warp. 
Thrice  they  return,  and  thrice  again: 
Image  of  God !  and  are  these  men 
With  eyes  upturned  in  sightless  stare. 
Glazed  with  the  dead  hate  that  they  glare: 


172  State  of  New  York 


And  one,  with  dumb  mouth,  shouts  in  death. 

To  one  the  red  blood  strangleth. 

And  one,  outstretched  with  woeful  brow. 

Hangs  spiked  upon  a  greenwood  bough. 

Wrought  in  a  sculptured  agony 

Like  Him  that  died  upon  a  tree. 

The  soul  of  Abercrombie's  host 

Follows  Lord  Howe  —  his  shining  ghost: 

On  stormy  ridge  and  parapet 

It  rides  in  flame,  it  leads  them  yet; 

Smiling,  with  wistful  image  wan, 

A  dead  man  leads  the  dying  on. 

And  Campbell,  Laird  of  Inverawe, 

Hath  met  the  doom  his  dream  foresaw: 

Pierced  by  his  murdered  kinsman's  eyes. 

His  clansmen  bear  him  where  he  dies. 

Lord  Howe,  Lord  Howe,  why  shouldst  thou  fall! 

Thy  life  it  was  the  life  of  all; 

Thy  death  ten  thousand  hath  undone. 

England  hath  sunken  with  the  sun. 

Ticonderoga's  lost  and  won ! 


O  women,  weep  ye  yet  for  war? 
Bugles  and  banners,  flaunt  no  more! 
For  some  be  sleeping  by  the  shore 

In  slumber  dark,  and  some  be 
Awake  in  fever's  roaring  gorge. 
And  some,  in  crowded  keels  that  forge 
Southward,  curse  heaven  and  Lake  George, 

Flying  with  Abercrombie! 

V 

Slill  round  ihy  hroiv  the  riven  rvar-clouJs  range, 

Ticonderoga  : 
The  conquest  marches  though  the  colors  change. 
And  nolP,  mhere  revolution's  lightnings  run. 
Beyond  the  battle-smoke,  sublime  and  fan. 
Quivers  the  patient  star  of  Washington. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  173 


Ranger  'gainst  regular. 
Sundered  in  enmit]). 
Opens  thine  ancient  scar 
Nelvl]f  —  for  liberty. 
Norv  T3>ith  a  rushing  noise 
Burst  freedom's  fountains 
Where  the  green- for  est  boys 
March  from  their  mountains. 
Listen!      What  Tvheedling  fife 
Quickens  th])  smouldering  memories  to  life, 
Ticonderoga? 

We're  marching  for  to  take  the  fort 

With  Ethan  —  Ethan  Allen, 
That  when  with  fight  he  fills  a  quart 

He  ups  and  gulps  a  gallon. 
Double-quick-it !  faster !  —  hep ! 

Lord !  his  blood  is  brandy. 
Mind  the  music  and  the  step. 

And  hold  your  muskets  handy. 

Friends  and  fellow  soldiers  —  halt ! 

Mind  your  P's,  you  noodle! 
What  mother's  son  will  earn  his  salt 

And  dance  to  Yankee  Doodle? 
There  stands  Ticonderoga:  state 

What  now  ye  mean  to  do  there. 
Yon's  the  fortress'  wicket-gate: 

How  many  will  march  through  there? 

As  many  now  as  volunteer 

Poise  your  firelocks !  —  Right,  Sir ! 
Each  man  has  swung  his  musket  clear. 

Each  man  files  off  to  fight.  Sir. 
The  British  sentry  points  his  gun. 

And  Ethan  hears  him  click  it; 
He  fires:  the  Yankees  yell  "  Come  on!  " 

And  thunder  through  the  wicket. 


174  State  of  New  York 


They  thunder  through  the  barracks  court 

And  ram  the  British  mortars. — 
What  rag-tail  rebels  makes  such  sport 

In  great  King  George's  quarters?  — 
King  George's  style  is  over.  Sir ! 

You  redcoats  wear  the  wrong  dress: 
Ground  arms  to  the  great  Jehovah,  Sir, 

And  the  Continental  Congress! 
Their  arms  they've  handed  over,  there. 

And  rueful  in  their  wrong  dress 
They've  bowed  to  the  great  Jehovah,  there. 

And  the  Continental  Congress. 

VI 

Thine  e^es  grow  dreamy  in  the  evening  haze, 

Ticonderoga. 
Where,  in  mimic  art 
Ephemeral, 

Thy  pilgrims  hold  their  part 
In  festival. 
On  what  eternal  pageants  dost  thou  gaze, 

Ticonderoga  ? 

Soldier  and  saint  and  sagamore 
Are  vanished  from  my  tranquil  shore. 
The  ripples  that  the  summer  breeze 
Awakes  —  they  are  my  reveries : 
The  day-fly  dartles  where  below 
The  Royal  Savage  hides  her  woe. 
And  where  the  silver  lake-trout  ply 
Arnold  still  grapples  with  Sir  Guy. 
On  Mount  Defiance,  looming  proud. 
Glowers  Burgoyne  —  a  twilight  cloud. 
In  whose  spent  shower's  radiance 
Macdonough  fights  the  Confiance. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  175 


Battles  whose  blood  is  liberty, 
Heroes  whose  dreams  are  history, 
Imagination  hath  them  wrought. 
Tempering  all  things  to  a  thought. 
Painting  the  land,  the  lake,  the  sky. 
With  pageants  of  the  dreamer's  eye. 

So,  by  my  visionary  shore. 
Soldier  and  saint  and  sagamore 
Live  in  my  shadow  evermore : 
"       Where,  lapt  in  beauty  sleeps  Champlain, 
Lulled  are  the  passion  and  the  pain; 
The  legend  and  the  race  remain. 

(Applause.) 

*  Governor  HUGHES  —  Fellore  Citizens:  While  we  are  talking  about 
the  past,  the  future  is  looking  on;  while  we  aire  recounting  the  details  of 
the  Old  World  and  the  ambitions  of  France  and  England  and  the  final 
success  of  the  United  States,  we  are  honored  with  the  presence  of  a 
distinguished  representative  of  that  powerful  and  progressive  nation  of  the 
East,  the  firm  friend  of  the  United  States  —  Japan.  (Applause.)  I 
have  great  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  Vice-Admiral  Uriu,  of  Japan. 

Vice- Admiral  Uriu  —  Centlemen:  I  am  making  a  trip  in  the  United  States 
and  I  am  very  fortunate  that  I  am  in  the  United  States  on  this  grand  occasion  and 
invited  to  this  distinguished  party,  and  I  celebrate  this  great  occasion  with  a  full 
heart  and  sentiment  toward  you.  (Applause.)  Now  let  me  have  this  occasion 
to  tell  you  I  have  been  travelling  a  few  months  in  the  United  States.  Wherever 
I  have  been  I  have  been  received  with  the  greatest  courtesy  and  heart.  If  I  take 
this  to  Japan  to  hear  the  real  story  they  will  be  very  much  gratified  and  feel  very 
grateful  to  you.  On  this  occasion  I  have  to  thank  you  for  your  courtesy.    (Applause.) 

Chairman  Hill  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  You  will  notice  that  this 
programme  has  been  completed  within  time,  and  we  are  now 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  President  of  the  United  States.  (Applause.) 
We  propose  a  cessation  of  hostilities  and  we  will  rest  a  moment  or  two. 
[Cries  of  "  Seth  Low,"  "  Seth  Low!  "]  Honorable  Seth  Low  will 
speak  to  you. 


176  State  of  New  York 


Hon.  Seth  Low  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Your  Excellencies.  Ladies  and  Cenilcmen: 
I  had  the  pleasure  yesterday  of  speaking  at  Crown  Point,  and  it  is  a  great  pleasure 
to  me  to  be  able  to  face  here  this  great  company  at  Ticonderoga.  You  have  heard 
already  a  great  deal  about  the  things  that  are  certain  in  connection  with  those  places. 
I  want  to  propose  to  you  two  questions  that  deal  wdth  the  uncertain.  I  want  to 
know  whether  it  was  at  Crown  Point  or  at  Ticonderoga  that  Champlain  had  his 
great  fight  with  the  Iroquois  about  which  you  have  heard. 

(A  voice)  —  I  give  it  up. 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Put  it  to  vote.  ^ 

Hon.  Seth  Low  —  Yesterday  I  was  entirely  convinced  that  that  dramatic 
incident  took  place  at  Crown  Point.  (Laughter.)  The  Governor  suggests  that 
I  should  lake  the  sense  of  this  audience  as  to  whether  or  not  it  was  at  Ticonderoga. 
Those  who  believe  it  was  Ticonderoga  please  raise  your  hands.  (A  general 
response.)  That  settles  it.  (Laughter.)  Another  historic  question  was  opened 
up  yesterday,  which  remains  to  be  settled  in  the  same  manner.  That  question  was 
whether  the  Fort  erected  in  1731  at  Crown  Point  was  Fort  Frederic  or  Fort  St. 
Frederic.  It  was  named  after  the  French  Secretary  of  State  of  that  day.  Every- 
body admits  that.  I  hope  it  is  not  an  unpardonable  sin  to  doubt  whether  the  Secre- 
tary of  State  of  that  day  was  a  real  Saint.  (Laughter.)  Whether  he  were  or  not, 
a  great  many  people  have  sainted  the  fort  that  was  named  after  him,  and  I  would 
hke  to  get  the  sense  of  this  audience  as  to  whether  or  not  in  the  future  those  ruins 
shall  be  the  ruins  of  Fort  Frederic  or  the  ruins  of  Fort  Saint  Frederic.  All  of 
those  in  favor  of  "  Fort  Saint  Frederic  "  wnll  please  say  "Aye."  [A  few  "Ayes."] 
Those  in  favor  of  "  Fort  Frederic "  will  please  say  "  Aye."  (Unanimous 
response.)  I  am  very  much  afraid  the  reputation  of  that  saint  is  gone  forever.  It 
really  is  a  wonderful  thing  for  us  Americans  to  have  the  opportunity  to  come  face 
to  face  now  and  then  with  our  own  inspiring  past.  The  problems  of  our  own  day 
are  so  pressing  and  so  fascinating  that  we  are  sometimes  tempted  to  forget  that  all 
that  we  are  and  all  that  we  have  rests  upon  the  foundation  of  the  splendid  men  and 
women  who  have  gone  before  us.  (Applause.)  When  one  reads  of  the  numbers 
of  these  contending  armies  and  compares  them  with  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
men  who  gather  to-day  under  historic  banners  when  great  nations  go  to  war,  it 
seems  as  if,  when  we  read  of  those  .things,  our  thoughts  glide  backward  to  the  day 
of  simple  things,  but  when  we  reflect  upon  the  issue  of  the  combative  interests 
carried  on  by  those  small  armies  and  realize  that  the  destinies  of  this  continent  were 
settled  there  and  by  them,  then  we  realize  that  the  power  of  the  Almighty  is  not 
measured  by  the  number  of  armed  men,  but  to  His  will  carried  out  through  the 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  177 


processes  of  time.  I  think  it  to  be  a  fact  that  Washington  never  commanded  so 
many  as  1 6,000  men,  perhaps  he  did  command  that  number  at  Yorktown ;  but 
the  battles  of  the  Revolution  were  fought  and  w^on  by  a  handful  of  men;  and  we 
will,  as  I  said  a  moment  ago,  whenever  we  get  the  opportunity,  we  Americans  will 
realize  that  the  greatness  of  our  country  to-day,  this  wide-stretching  area  with  its 
vast  population,  its  only  partially  developed  resources,  we  owe,  after  all,  to  the 
fidelity  of  a  few  men  to  the  duty  of  the  hour  as  they  saw  it,  and  if  we  can  learn 
from  them  that  lesson  and  be  true  in  our  own  time  to  the  duties  that  lay  before  us, 
the  unnumbered  multitudes  who  are  destined  to  inhabit  the  United  States  in  the 
days  to  come,  we  may  hope  will  look  back  upon  us  as  we  look  back  upon  the 
Revolutionary  fathers  with  gratitude  in  their  hearts  and  with  praise  to  the  Almighty 

God. 

[At  this  point  there  were  vociferous  calls  for  Assemblyman  Shea  to 
speak. ] 

Assemblyman  James  Shea  —  Ladies  and  Centlemen:  I  wish  to  thank  you 
for  this  cordial  reception.  I  welcome  you  to  this  beautiful  historic  spot  and  especially 
my  colleagues  in  the  Legislature.  I  would  not  perhaps  have  been  noticed  had  I 
not  been  actively  identified  with  this  Tercentenary  celebration.  I  did  not  come 
here  to  speak  because  I  know  there  are  many  more  noted  speakers  present  than  I 
am;  but  I  am  trying  in  my  modest  way  to  get  as  much  out  of  the  occasion  as 
possible.  I  am  gratified  to  see  these  historic  ruins  visited  by  the  representatives  of 
three  great  powers  now  in  friendly  accord  and  I  trust  this  amity  will  ever  continue. 
(Applause.) 

Senator  HiLL  —  Ladies  and  Centlemen:  If  you  will  be  patient  we  will 
try  to  entertain  you.  We  are  very  fortunate  in  having  another  dis- 
tinguished Vermonter  here  to-day,  a  gentleman  who  in  the  last  Congress 
introduced  and  carried  through  the  resolution  which  committed  the  United 
States  to  participate  in  these  celebration  exercises.  I  have  the  pleasure  of 
introducing  to  you  Representative  David  J.  Foster,  of  Vermont. 

Representative  FoSTER  —  Mr.  Chairman,  your  Excellencies,  Ladies  and  Centlc' 
men:  I  am  very  glad  for  this  opportunity  of  reminding  you  that  there  was  an 
occasion  when  Vermont  set  the  pace  for  New  York.  When  I  was  a  lad  and  lived 
at  home  on  the  farm  I  used  to  like  to  ride  the  old  farm  horse  on  errands  for  my 
father,  and,  boy-like,  I  used  to  like  to  get  up  all  the  speed  I  could,  and  on  one  of 
those  occasions  after  I  had  got  astride  of  the  old  horse,  I  asked  my  father  to  step 
13 


178  State  of  New  York 


into  the  shed  and  bring  out  a  pair  of  old  spurs  that  hung  there  and  put  them  on  my 
heels.  Well  he  came  back  with  one,  which  he  put  on.  I  protested  and  wanted 
them  both  on.  He  said  "  My  son,  if  you  can  make  one  side  of  that  old  horse 
go  you  need  have  no  apprehension  about  the  other  side  keeping  up."  (Applause.) 
So,  some  years  ago  when  there  was  some  disagreement  between  Vermont  and  New 
York,  we  sent  one  Ethan  Allen  over  here  to  Ticonderoga  to  set  a  pace  for  you, 
and  you  have  been  keeping  it  up  ever  since.  In  fact  I  am  rather  thinking  that  you 
are  the  ones  who  set  the  pace  to-day,  although  our  Governor  Prouty  is  a  mighty 
good  second  to  your  Governor  Hughes. 

Well  now,  my  friends,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  local  pride,  in  the  presence  of  all 
the  memories  of  this  local  historical  spot,  you  do  not  want  to  forget  the  great  nation 
that  lies  behind  it  all.  We  have  with  us  to-day  among  our  distinguished  guests,  a 
representative  of  the  great  "  Yankee  "  nation  of  the  Far  East  —  Japan  —  and 
you  want  to  remember  that  while  you  are  fulfilling  all  the  aspirations  of  Governor 
Hughes  in  making  good  American  citizens,  in  upholding  the  interests  of  your  great 
commonwealth,  your  great  Empire  State,  above  and  beyond  all  that  you  have  a 
duty  as  American  citizens  in  holding  up  the  honor  and  the  dignity  and  the  prestige 
of  the  great  American  Republic.  For,  my  friends,  we  have  a  duty  abroad  as  well 
as  a  duty  at  home.  This  great  American  nation  stands  for  justice  and  peace  and 
righteousness  among  the  nations  of  the  earth  as  it  stands  for  fair  play  between  man 
and  man  here  at  home.  I  want  to  remind  our  great  representative  of  the  Japanese 
Empire  that  when  Russia  and  Japan  were  engaged  in  the  greatest  conflict  the  world 
has  seen  since  our  owti  Civil  War,  there  was  no  nation  in  the  Old  World  to  take 
the  first  step  towards  bringing  those  warring  nations  together  in  a  peace  conference. 
It  remained  for  the  American  Republic  to  bring  those  nations  together  in  a  peace 
conference  at  Portsmouth,  the  first  international  conference  ever  held  on  American 
soil.  We  all  remember  how  that  Russian  historian  —  that  Russian  writer  — 
declares  that  finally  peace  was  secured  between  those  warring  nations  only  through 
the  tremendous  influence  of  President  Roosevelt  (applause)  backed  by  the  tremen- 
dous influence  of  the  conscience  and  public  spirit  of  ninety  million  American  people. 

Do  you  remember  what  Anson  Burlingame,  that  great  American  who  represented 
us  so  well  in  China,  said  on  his  visit  to  England?  He  was  taken  by  our  Minister 
there  to  the  British  House  of  Commons  and  given  a  seat  in  one  of  the  most  desirable 
of  the  galleries;  but  he  had  hardly  got  seated  when  an  official  came  along  and 
ordered  him  out,  saying  that  that  particular  gallery  was  reserved  for  the  peers  of 
the  realm;  but  just  then  one  of  the  peers  of  the  realm  came  along  and  recognized 
Burlingame  as  an  American  and  he  said  "Let  him  remain;  they  are  all  peers  of 
the  realm  in  his  country;"  but  Burlingame  arose  and  said:  "Sir,  we  are  all 
sovereigns  in  our  country,"  and  went  out. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  179 


And  indeed  we  are  all  American  sovereigns  in  this  country ;  there  are  no  subjects, 
and  we  not  only  have  a  duty  in  administering  our  affairs  here  at  home  in  the  interest 
of  our  American  sovereign,  but  we  have  the  further  duty  of  exerting  our  influence 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth  towards  the  preservation  of  peace  and  towards  the 
furtherance  of  justice  among  those  nations. 

Now,  I  am  not  going  to  detain  you.  I  have  a  colleague  here  who  will  be 
introduced  as  soon  as  I  have  finished,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  in  closing  that  he  is 
not  only  a  better  man  than  I  am,  but  there  is  more  of  him.  I  am  very  glad  to  see 
you  all.  I  helped  to  get  that  little  bill  through  and  that  little  appropriation  through, 
but  after  all  my  friend  Malby  was  the  one  who  did  it.  Do  you  know,  Malby  — 
Congressman  Malby  —  is  the  one  who  did  it.  (Applause.)  I  stood  some  little 
distance  behind  him,  but  he  was  the  man  that  did  it.  I  find,  my  friends,  that 
whatever  New  York  wants  down  there,  whether  it  is  at  the  White  House  or  in  the 
Capitol,  New  York  gets.  You  are  a  large  State.  I  suppose  you  are  going  to 
get  the  Presidency  one  of  these  days.  (Cries  of  "  Yes,  sir.")  Now,  having 
made  myself  so  very  popular  in  that  respect,  I  will  close  and  thank  you  for  your 
consideration.     (Applause.) 

The  entire  assemblage  then  sang  "America." 

Senator  HiLL  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  We  are  fortunate  in  having 
with  us  another  Vermont  Representative  on  this  occasion.  We  will  hear 
briefly  from  Representative  Frank  Plumley. 

Representative  Plumley  —  Mr.  Chairman,  and  Cenilemen  of  the  Commission, 
Governors  of  Vermont  and  Nere  York,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  supposed  that 
my  brother  Foster  and  myself  were  travelling  entirely  incog,  and  had  not  the 
slightest  expectation  of  appearing  in  your  presence  to-day,  but  in  order  that  the 
lime  may  be  occupied  until  the  arrival  of  our  Chief  Magistrate,  it  has  been  suggested 
that  the  edifice  of  oratory  —  of  prose  and  of  poetry  —  which  has  been  erected 
before  you,  should  have  a  few  rocks  placed  in  front  as  stepping  stones  to  the  next 
event;  and  also,  I  assume,  that  since  Mr.  Foster  has  been  in  your  presence  you  may 
be  permitted  to  see  the  long  and  the  short  of  the  Vermont  delegation.  Being  a 
small  State,  having  but  two  representatives,  we  find  it  essential  in  order  that  we  may 
count  at  all  in  the  Congress  of  our  nation,  that  we  should  stand  together  through 
thick  and  thin.  (Applause.)  I  am  always  inclined  to  take  a  broad  view  of  the 
situation.  (Laughter.)  This  is  my  first  appearance  in  a  public  way  upon  the  soil 
of  old  New  York,  and  like  our  Governor,  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  you  have  that 
about  your  soil  which  sticks  closer  than  a  brother.  Living,  as  I  have,  in  Vermont 
all  my  life,  save  for  occasional  outings,  I  have  learned  to  love  its  native  hills  and 


180  State  of  New  York 

valleys,  its  forests  and  its  mountains,  while  I  have  looked  admiringly  across  the 
great  lake  which  has  not  severed,  but  which  has  tended  to  unite  us,  with  admiring 
and  loving  glances  upon  your  grand  old  Adirondacks;  I  have  observed,  as  I  have 
sailed  —  or  rode  rather  —  upon  the  lake,  that  the  foothills  of  Vermont  clad  in 
their  emerald  green,  and  the  foothills  of  the  Adirondacks  also  so  clad,  have  each 
touched  the  waters  of  your  lake  and  of  ours  in  loving  kisses  and  tender  embraces, 
while  the  placid  waters  themselves  have  reflected  the  heavenly  blue;  so  have  our 
two  States  together  lived  in  that  union  and  accord,  only  made  more  manifest  and 
more  general  in  their  happier  union  of  the  great  nation,  the  concord  of  States  which 
forms  the  great  union  of  the  United  States.      (Applause.) 

At  this  point  President  Taft  arrived  and  was  received  with  a  grand 
ovation. 

Governor  Hughes  —  Three  cheers  for  the  President  of  the  United 
States. 

Three  cheers  were  given  with  a  will  by  the  assemblage. 

Senator  HiLL,  in  introducing  the  next  speaker,  said:  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen:  This  historic  spot  was  made  first  illustrious  by  the  bravery, 
the  valor  and  the  sagacity  of  the  French  nation.  Its  history  is  interwoven 
with  that  of  France  in  the  1  7th  and  1 8th  centuries.  On  this  occasion,  in 
response  to  the  invitation  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  the 
Republic  of  France  has  delegated  a  representative  in  the  person  of  the 
French  Ambassador,  M.  Jusserand,  a  noted  writer  and  a  distinguished 
diplomat,  who  will  now  address  you. 

Remarks  of  the  Ambassador  of  France 

Ambassador  JusSERAND  —  Mr.  President,  Ladles  and  Gentlemen:  In  this 
same  month  of  July,  three  centuries  ago,  this  lake,  with  the  fine  forests  bordering 
it  then  on  every  side,  was  seen  for  the  first  time  by  a  European,  as  good  a  repre- 
sentative as  one  could  wish  of  the  white  race,  Samuel  de  Champlain,  the  navigator, 
the  explorer,  the  honest  man,  the  founder  of  Quebec. 

In  this  same  month  of  July,  a  century  and  a  half  ago  was  fought,  on  this  same 
spot,  one  of  those  battles  where  so  much  valor  was  shown  on  both  sides  that  the 
vanquished  carried  away  with  him,  while  leaving  the  field,  the  esteem  and  admiration 
of  the  victor.  In  the  long  wars  between  France  and  England,  whatever  may  have 
been  the  changeful  issue  of  each  contest,  such  an  occurrence  was  the  usual  one. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  181 


The  winner  at  Ticonderoga  was  one  of  the  soldiers  France  can  be  most  proud 
of,  Montcalm,  whose  hfe  was  short  but  every  day  of  which  was  spent  in  the  service 
of  his  nation.  He  belonged  to  a  fighting  race.  *'  War  is  the  tomb  of  the  Mont- 
calms  "  was  a  popular  saying  in  his  province.  He  entered  the  army  at  thirteen 
(some  even  say  at  nine)  and  from  that  moment  till  his  death  did  nothing  but  fight 
for  his  country.  He  was,  however,  one  of  those  soldiers  who  believed  that,  to 
be  a  good  fighter,  one  did  not  have  to  necessarily  neglect  letters,  and  he  trusted  that 
one  could  enjoy  the  beauty  of  a  verse  without  the  edge  of  the  spirit  being  blunted. 
Let  us  not  forget  that  Cassar  was  one  of  those,  and  Raleigh  too,  and  Napoleon 
also,  that  determined  admirer  of  Ossian.  From  the  camp  at  Otrebach,  being  twenty- 
two,  Montcalm  was  writing  to  his  father:  "  I  am  learning  German,  and  am  reading 
more  Greek  than  I  had  done  for  three  or  four  years."  Fond  of  the  classics,  he 
never  parted  company  with  them;  a  Plutarch  in  Greek  was  his  life-long  companion. 
The  day  after  Ticonderoga,  the  same  man  who  had  won  the  battle  could  compose 
two  Latin  hexameters  and  have  them  engraved  on  the  cross  raised  by  him  to  the 
memory  of  the  dead.  By  a  noteworthy  coincidence  they  are  to  the  same  effect  as 
the  order  of  Henry  V  to  his  troops  after  Agincourt;  an  order  one  may  read  in 
Shakespeare  and  in  the  humility  of  which  the  king  took  great  pride. 

Another  charming  trait  in  his  personality  is  his  fondness  for  his  mother,  for  his 
wife  and  children.  Married  young,  and  the  father  of  ten  children,  he  kept  his  wife 
informed  of  all  that  happened  to  him,  in  witty,  good  humored  letters,  recalling  those 
another  young  French  officer.  La  Fayette,  was  to  write  later  to  his  own  wife  also, 
from  America.  This  last  young  wife  was  a  Noailles,  and  it  was  old  Marechal  de 
Noailles,  her  grandfather,  who  had,  in  early  days,  drawn  the  horoscope  of  Mont- 
calm, saying:  "  He  is  one  of  those  rare  officers  who  are  still  attracted  by  what  is 
great."  After  his  storming  of  Fort  Oswego  on  the  Ontario,  one  of  his  most 
valorous  deeds,  which  he  modestly  calls  "  a  rather  pretty  adventure,"  he  concludes 
his  letter  to  his  wife  thus:  "  Be  my  mother  and  be  careful  to  love  me;  and  may  I 
join  you  all  next  year.  I  kiss  my  daughters;  it  is  not  possible,  dearest,  to  love  you 
more  dearly  than  I  do." 

When  the  time  came  for  him  to  show  that  he  was  really  attracted  by  "  what  is 
great,"  that  is  when  he  was  sent  as  commander-in-chief  to  Canada,  he  had  already 
been  six  limes  wounded.  He  started  from  Brest  on  April,  I  756,  having  chosen  for 
his  aide-de-camp  a  young  captain  of  dragoons  who  was  to  prove  a  scarcely  less 
efficient  servant  of  France  than  himself.  This  strange  cavalry  man  was  the  son  of 
a  Paris  notary,  and  had  first  distinguished  himself  as  an  eloquent  lawyer  and 
barrister.  With  his  taste  for  law  he  combined  a  taste  for  geometry  (and  had 
published  a  valuable  work  on  "Integral  Calculus"),  military  tastes  which  had 


182  State  of  New  York 

caused  him  to  enlist,  diplomatic  tastes  which  had  led  him  to  become  a  Secretary  of 
Embassy  in  London,  and  other  tastes,  too,  as  yet  undeveloped  which  were  to  be  the 
cause  of  his  enduring  fame,  for  Montcalm's  aide  was  none  other  than  Louis  Antoine 
de  Bougainville,  now  mainly  knowTi  as  a  navigator,  the  same  who  commanded  a 
division  under  de  Grasse  in  the  War  of  Independence,  circumnavigated  the  globe, 
and  died  very  old,  a  member  of  the  Institute  and  a  senator  of  the  French  Empire, 
b  1814. 

Bougainville,  as  well  as  brave  Levis,  was  vnth  Montcalm  at  Ticonderoga,  other- 
wise Fort  Carillon.  On  the  8th  of  July,  1  758,  the  battle  was  fought,  Montcalm 
having  to  oppose  troops  four  times  as  numerous  as  his,  having  only  eight  days 
provisions,  holding  a  position  which  more  wisdom  on  the  part  of  the  assailants 
might  have  made  desperate.  But  Lord  Howe  had  been  killed,  Abercromby  was 
not  his  equal.  "  They  hesitate,"  Montcalm  had  written  before  the  battle;  "  may-be 
I  shall  rout  them."  And  so  he  did,  a  hard  won  battle,  lasting  from  dawn  to  night, 
resulting  in  over  two  thousand  dead  remaining  on  the  spot,  but  a  complete  and 
absolute  victory  by  which  French  Canada  was  saved  —  for  the  time. 

A  characteristic  trait  of  Montcalm  is  that,  if  he  profited  by  the  mistakes  of  his 
adversaries,  he  rendered  full  justice  to  the  valor  they  displayed  in  trying  to  obey 
the  impossible  orders  of  their  chief,  unflinchingly  dying  without  a  murmur,  charging 
six  times  in  the  vain  hope  of  capturing  the  French  entrenchments. 

This  was  the  proudest  day  in  Montcalm's  career:  "  This  glorious  day,"  he 
wrote  to  his  wife,  "  does  infinite  honor  to  the  valor  of  our  battalions.  I  have  no 
time  to  write  more.  I  am  well,  my  dearest,  and  I  embrace  you."  More  characteristic 
even  was  his  official  report  in  which  he  said:  "  M.  de  Levis,  with  several  bullets 
in  his  clothes,  and  M.  de  Bourlamaque  dangerously  wounded,  have  had  the  greatest 
part  in  the  glory  of  this  day.  The  success  is  mainly  due  to  the  incredible  valor  of 
the  officers  and  soldiers.  As  for  me,  I  have  had  no  other  merit  than  to  have 
happened  to  be  the  general  of  such  valiant  troops." 

The  French  are  sometimes  said  to  like  to  brag;  great  Shakespeare  is  somewhat 
hard  on  them  on  this  account.  The  taunt  may,  however,  well  be  disputed.  It 
certainly  does  not  apply  to  Montcalm,  either  living  or  dead;  modest  enough  is  what 
our  books  of  reference  (those  from  which  the  public  at  large  gather  their  informa- 
tion) have  to  say  concerning  what  happened  on  this  spot,  a  century  and  a  half  ago. 
"  Ticonderoga,"  says  the  Grande  Enc^cloped'ie,  "  a  picturesque  site  where  are  to 
be  seen  the  ruins  of  a  fort  erected  by  the  French,  and  which  played  a  notable  role 
in  the  War  of  Independence."  Of  the  part  it  played  in  our  own  wars  not  a  syllable. 
In  Bouillet's  "  Historical  Dictionary,"  neither  the  word  nor  the  name  "  Fort 
Carillon  "  appears  at  all. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  183 

In  his  hour  of  triumph  Montcalm  had  rendered  full  justice  to  his  enemies.  When 
he  fell,  his  enemies  nobly  requited  him;  they  gave  him  an  equal  share  in  the  honors 
rendered  to  the  memory  of  their  own  hero  General  Wolfe,  and  the  same  column 
commemorates  in  Quebec  the  similar  virtues  of  the  two  opponents.  On  the  tomb  of 
Montcalm,  in  the  Ursuline's  convent  at  Quebec,  one  of  the  finest  inscriptions  ever 
devised  for  the  sepulture  of  a  hero  has  been  engraved;  it  is  in  French  and  means: 
"  Honor  to  Montcalm.  Fate,  while  denying  him  victory,  has  recompensed  him  by 
a  glorious  death."  A  true  insight  into  a  hero's  heart  is  revealed  by  the  choice  of 
that  word  "  recompensed."  This  inscription  is  due  to  Lord  Aylmer,  Governor  of 
Canada,  in  1831. 

Years  have  passed ;  on  these  happy  shores  guns  have  long  been  silent ;  the  feelings 
of  the  people  represented  around  the  ruins  of  Ticonderoga  have  changed ;  the  colonists 
of  yore  who  had  played  an  important  part  in  the  fight  now  belong  to  a  great  and 
independent  nation,  the  United  States,  the  friend  of  the  former  enemies,  France  and 
England,  a  trio  of  liberal  nations. 

As  for  France  and  England  themselves,  they  have,  of  late  years,  given  to  the 
world  the  example  of  settling  all  at  once  the  whole  series  of  their  secular  quarrels 
and  difficulties,  without  even  having  recourse  to  arbitration.  In  medieval  times, 
France  and  England  have  known  the  horrors  of  a  Hundred  Years  War.  The  time 
is  not  far  distant  when  they  will  be  able  to  celebrate  the  completion  of  a  Hundred 
Years  Peace.     (Applause.) 

Senator  HiLL  —  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  have  heard  from  the 
French  Ambassador  the  sentiments  of  that  great  RepubHc  whose  achieve- 
ments are  known  to  all  men.  Another  great  power  across  the  sea  is 
represented  to-day  in  the  person  of  its  distinguished  Ambassador,  the 
author  of  "  The  American  Commonwealth."  and  other  notable  books, 
who  will  speak  for  Great  Britain  —  the  Right  Honorable  James  Bryce. 

Ambassador  BrycE  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
I  thank  you  for  the  honor  which  has  been  done  me  in  inviting  me  here  to  represent 
my  country  at  this  most  interesting  celebration.  Until  I  saw  the  ruined  walls  of 
the  fort,  until  I  saw  how  you  were  going  to  restore  it,  until  I  saw  those  most  impressive 
relics  which  you  have  placed  there  and  which  are  to  be  a  museum  for  the  future, 
I  had  hardly  realized  how  interesting  the  spot  was,  how  many  associations  cluster 
around  it.  It  is  a  spot  so  beautiful  that  I  am  sure  the  Creator  meant  it  for  some- 
thing better  than  fighting.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  that  as  far  as  human  eye  can  pierce 
the  future,  it  will  never  see  fighting  again.      (Applause.) 


184  State  of  New  York 


I  will  not  attempt,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  emulate  the  very  interesting  historical 
sketch  which  has  been  given  you  by  my  friend  and  colleague,  the  Ambassador  of 
France,  but  I  will  subscribe  most  heartily  to  all  he  has  said  about  the  brilliant 
discoveries  of  Samuel  Champlain  and  about  the  noble  character  and  achievement 
of  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm.  I  may  say  that  as  he  has  dwelt  upon  the  literary 
and  philosophical  tastes  of  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  I  should  like  to  mention  that 
the  brother  hero  opposed  to  him  in  war,  his  equal  in  fame  and  in  memory,  who 
perished  on  the  same  day,  the  same  field  —  our  British  hero.  General  Wolfe  —  was 
also  a  man  of  like  culture  and  tastes;  and  it  is  recorded  that  as  he  was  rowing  up  the 
St.  Lawrence  on  the  night  before  the  battle  of  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  one  of  his 
officers  asked  him  whether  he  would  rather  win  the  battle  to-morrow  or  have  written 
Gray's  Elegy,  and  he  said,  "  I  would  rather  have  written  Gray's  Elegy  than  win 
any  battle."  Well,  men  like  Wolfe  are  as  rare  as  great  poets,  but  it  is  interesting 
to  think  that  these  brother  heroes  were  worthy  in  every  way  of  one  another. 

But  I  will  not  attempt,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  follow  my  friend  and  colleague 
into  any  of  these  historical  recollections,  nor  to  sketch  for  you  the  great  events 
which  with  small  forces  were  fought  out  upon  the  waters  of  this  very  beautiful  lake. 
A  good  deal  was  said  about  it  yesterday  by  Governor  Hughes  and  Mr.  Seth  Low, 
and  a  good  deal  more  will  be  said  to-day  and  to-morrow.  For  my  part,  I  have  not 
refreshed  my  recollection  of  these  historical  things  very  much,  and  I  should  be  sorry 
to  stand  an  examination  in  all  the  movements  of  the  nations  that  at  one  time  warred 
here.  That  there  was  a  good  deal  of  fighting  I  know,  and  although  I  would  not 
like  to  say  exactly  who  conducted  the  fighting  nor  to  express  any  opinion  on  the 
merits  of  the  contests,  I  will  say  that  I  am  pretty  sure  it  was  not  the  Dutch 
(laughter),  and  I  am  perfectly  certain  it  was  not  the  Spaniards  (laughter);  and 
let  me  say  for  myself,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  I  am  a  man  of  peace,  and  I  am 
here  as  a  man  of  peace.  I  am  here  to  look  upon  these  moldering  relics  of  the  ruins 
of  the  fort  and  to  thank  God  that  they  have  never  got  to  be  used  again.  And  here 
I  am,  in  the  midst  of  men  of  war.  I  see  the  two  Governors  of  New  York  and 
Vermont,  heads  of  large  military  forces  of  those  two  States.  I  see  here  behind  me 
the  Secretary  of  War,  and  I  see  close  to  me  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  armies 
of  the  United  States.  He  is  going  to  address  some  remarks  to  you.  Now,  I 
wouldn't  like  to  say  anything  that  would  differ  from  what  he  is  going  to  say.  There 
was  a  Roman  philosopher  who  once  being  in  the  company  of  a  Roman  Emperor, 
and  being  challenged  by  him  to  express  his  opinion,  said  that  he  wouldn't  like  to 
argue  with  the  master  of  forty  legions.  So  I  shall  not  be  betrayed  into  any  differences 
of  opinion  from  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States. 


VERY  REV.  THOMAS  A.  PREVEL 
OF  ENGLAND 


COADJUTOR-BISHOP  RICHARD  H. 
NELSON  OF  ALBANY 


MGR.  A.   RACICOT 
Auxiliary  Bishop  of  Montreal 


RT.   REV.  ARTHUR  C.  A.   HALL 
Bishop  of  Vermont 


'  The  Champlain  Tercentenary  185 


Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  am  delighted  to  think  that  you  are  going  to  repair  this 
fort  and  to  have  this  museum.  The  best  way  in  which  you  can  evidence  that  war- 
like operations  will  never  take  place  here  again  is  by  turning  the  fort  to  that  use. 
If  the  three  nations  which  strove  here  more  than  300  years  ago,  and  still  later  down 
to  1814,  were  able  to  give  their  voice  and  opinion  to  us  to-day  upon  the  morals  of 
all  this,  what  do  you  think  they  would  say?  Generally  speaking,  when  we  com- 
memorate great  events,  we  commemorate  them  not  only  for  admiration  but  also  for 
education;  but  if  the  voices  of  those  three  nations  were  to  say  anything  to  us  to-day, 
they  would  say:  *'  We  admire  those  heroes  of  the  past,  we  admire  the  devotion 
and  self-sacrifice  that  our  men  poured  out  their  lives  in  the  cause  of  the  country  that 
they  were  sent  to  fight  for  —  but  never  do  it  again."  (Applause.)  And  I  think 
that  will  be  for  all  of  us  what  we  will  try  to  carry  away  from  this  commemoration  — 
thankfulness  that  we  shall  never  do  it  again,  and  that  the  era  of  peace  has  dawned 
upon  the  nations.      (Applause.) 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Fello'W  Citizens:  The  supreme  moment  of  the 
exercises  of  this  day  has  now  arrived.  I  have  the  honor  of  introducing 
to  you  a  great  American  man  who  honors  his  high  office,  the  President  of 
the  United  States. 

Remarks  of  President  Taft 

The  President  —  Governor  Hughes,  M^  Fellow  Citizens:  As  I  stood  here 
listening  to  the  interesting  remarks  of  the  Ambassador  from  France  and  the  Ambas- 
sador from  Great  Britain,  I  could  not  but  congratulate  the  United  States  on  the 
implied  compliment  that  those  two  countries  had  paid  to  her,  by  sending  here  as  the 
personal  representatives  of  their  respective  Chief  Executives  men  so  distinguished  in 
literature,  in  history,  in  statesmanship  and  in  diplomacy.  Another  thing  that  came  to 
me  as  I  sat  here  and  looked  at  this  embattled  hill  was  that  the  State  of  New  York 
and  the  S^ate  of  Vermont  were  most  fortunate  in  being  able  to  find  a  place  upon 
which  three  nations  could  celebrate  the  past  with  entire  consistency  and  with  great  joy. 
(Applause.)  Because,  exercising  proper  discrimination,  they  can  find  deeds  of 
valor  and  success  for  each  nation  on  every  spot  about  this  lake. 

Champlain  was  a  man  whom  all  nations  can  honor.  He  is  not  a  man  with 
respect  to  whose  history  you  have  to  pass  over  something  in  silence.  All  his  life 
could  bear  the  closest  examination,  and  he  brings  out  in  the  strongest  way  those 
wonderful  qualities  shown  in  the  15  th,  16th,  and  17th  centuries  by  Spaniard, 
Englishman,  Frenchman,  Portuguese,  who  braved  those  dreadful  terrors  of  the  sea, 
circumnavigated  the  globe  in  little  cockleshells  and  carried  the  standard  of  the  then 


186  State  of  New  York 


civilization  into  the  farthest  forests  and  into  the  dangers  of  the  most  distant  tropics. 
I  am  a  good  sailor.  I  do  not  mind  the  waves  at  sea,  but  I  should  think  those  that 
did  mind  them  would  not  believe  the  story  of  Magellan,  or  Champlain,  or  Cortez, 
of  those  who  came  over  in  things  that  seem  no  larger  than  skiffs  to-day. 

I  think  it  is  well  for  us  to  go  back  through  the  history  of  the  nations  in  order  that 
our  ovfti  heads,  a  little  swelled  with  modern  progress,  may  be  diminished  a  bit  in 
the  proper  appreciation  of  what  was  done  by  nations  before  us  under  conditions  that 
seem  to  limit  the  possibility  of  human  achievement,  but  limitations  that  were  over- 
come by  the  bravery,  the  courage  and  the  religious  faith  of  nations  that  preceded  us 
in  developing  the  world,  to  Montcalm  and  Wolfe,  two  great  characters,  back  to 
whom  you  trace  the  whole  history  of  Lower  Canada.  It  is  true  Wolfe  conquered 
Montcalm  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  But  there  is  still  in  all  the  region  of  Lower 
Canada  a  population  purely  French,  a  population  industrious.  God-fearing,  earnest 
and  loyal  to  the  flag  under  whose  government  they  live.  (Applause.)  That  fact 
is  a  compliment  not  only  to  the  far-seeing  statesmanship  of  the  English  colonial 
statesmen  who  framed  the  government  under  which  they  live,  but  it  is  a  compliment 
to  the  persistent  industrial,  domestic  virtues  of  the  French  nation.  For  sixteen  years 
it  was  my  good  fortune  to  go  to  Murray  Bay  in  Canada  for  the  summer.  There  is 
a  limitation  now  upon  the  Presidential  office  that  prevents  it.  But  while  there  I 
learned  some  things  and  one  was  that  while  the  Murray  Highlanders,  and  other 
soldiers  of  England  conquered  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  quite  a  number  of  those 
soldiers  went  down  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  were  induced  to  settle  on  the  French 
seigniories  that  lie  some  miles  below  Quebec.  There  were  Blackburns  and  War- 
rens and  MacNiels  and  Fraziers  and  Nairns,  and  all  the  Scotch  names  that  bring 
back  the  memory  of  the  Murray  Highlanders.  And  what  did  they  do?  They  had 
the  sense  to  marry  French  women.  And  what  happened?  That  country  is  full 
of  Blackburns,  MacNiels,  Warrens,  Nairns  and  Fraziers,  and  they  don't  any  of 
them  speak  a  word  of  English.  (Laughter.)  There  are  other  ways  of  conquering 
a  people  than  merely  by  guns.     (Laughter.) 

This  valley  in  which  we  are,  in  the  300  years  since  it  was  discovered  by  Cham- 
plain,  has  furnished  almost  as  much  of  a  battle-ground  for  the  three  nations  and  the 
Indians  who  were  on  all  sides  as  Belgium  in  Europe.  And  one  does  not  have  to 
seek  far  for  the  reason.  If  you  will  read  the  account  given  by  Benedict  Arnold  of 
his  attempt  to  reach  Quebec  through  Maine  you  will  understand  why  everybody 
else  that  went  that  way  went  by  Lake  Champlain.  (Laughter.)  The  truth  is  it 
was  the  only  passageway,  and  as  the  St.  Lawrence  on  the  one  hand  offered  a  great 
place  for  settlement,  the  Hudson  on  the  other,  and  all  the  Atlantic  coast,  in  order 
to  reach  the  two  this  was  the  passageway,  and  here  were  fought  the  battles  con- 
tended for  200  years,  and  as  we  may  now  say,  never  to  recur.     They  did  not  occur 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  187 

in  the  Civil  War.  I  believe,  except  a  little  venture  by  some  rash  representatives  of 
the  Confederacy,  who  tried  to  break  a  bank  in  St.  Albans,  but  with  that  exception 
we  have  to  go  back  to  the  War  of  1812  for  the  use  of  this  as  a  battle-ground. 
I  echo  and  emphasize  the  statement  of  the  two  ambassadors  and  repeat  their  prayer 
that  never  again  may  this  great  valley  be  given  a  name  in  history  by  reason  of  its 
being  the  seat  of  bloody  war.     (Applause.) 

The  President's  address  concluded  the  literary  exercises  at  Ticon- 
deroga.  Indian  pageants  and  fireworks  along  the  lake  front  followed, 
and  thus  were  the  thousands  of  visitors  entertained  far  into  the  night. 


V.  WEDNESDAY.  JULY  7:  AT  CLIFF  HAVEN.  PLATTS- 
BURGH.  PLATTSBURGH  BARRACKS  AND 
HOTEL  CHAMPLAIN. 

189 


V.  AT  CLIFF  HAVEN.  PLATTSBURGH.  PLATTSBURGH 
BARRACKS  AND  HOTEL  CHAMPLAIN 

THE  EXERCISES  of  July  7th  opened  with  a  notable  morning  gathering 
at  Cliff  Haven,  the  Catholic  Summer  School  of  America.  The 
grounds  of  this  institution  are  high  above  the  waters  of  the  lake  and 
with  their  natural  setting  of  cedars  and  pines  are  very  beautiful.  In  pre- 
paration for  the  eminent  guests  of  the  day,  four  rustic  arches  had  been 
erected.  It  was  recalled  that  the  first  of  such  arches  had  been  put  in 
place  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  from  President  McKinley;  a  second  arch, 
the  work  of  Mr.  Charles  A.  Webber,  was  designated  as  the  Taft  arch. 
Under  it  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  other  guests  passed  on 
their  way  to  the  auditorium,  where,  at  10  o'clock,  the  exercises  were 
opened  by  the  singing  of  "America  "  superbly  swelled  by  the  voices  of 
many  thousands.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Dennis  J.  McMahon,  president  of  the 
school,  presided  and  welcomed  the  guests  in  the  following  words : 

Dr.  Dennis  J.  McMahon  —  Honored  Quests,  Dear  Friends:  It  has  been 
the  pleasure  of  this  institution  in  the  twelve  years  of  its  residence  in  this  part  of  the 
world  to  have  as  guests  the  three  great  Presidents  that  have  ruled  in  the  seat  at 
Washington  —  the  martyred  McKinley,  the  intrepid  Roosevelt,  and  the  calm, 
judicial  Taft.      (Applause.) 

Our  motto,  "  God  and  Country,"  is  what  we  live  for,  what  we  strive  to  attain, 
even  to  the  highest.  We  have  to-day  in  our  faith  the  representative  of  God,  who 
might  indeed  be  our  spokesman,  but  whose  presence  speaks  the  words  of  loyalty 
and  of  respect  for  authority  that  ever  will  be  the  ideal  of  this  Cathohc  Summer 
School.     (Applause. ) 

This  is  an  institution  incorporated  and  looked  after  by  the  Regents  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  the  representative  or  high  official  of  those  Regents  is  with  us 
to-day.  (Applause.)  A  year  ago  it  was  our  pleasure,  our  unbounded  pleasure, 
to  welcome  for  the  first  time  the  Executive  of  the  State  of  New  York  (applause), 
and  we  feel  that  the  sterling  character  that  has  stood  out  amidst  the  difficulties  of  his 
career  has  learned  something  of  our  work,  learned  more  of  our  dealings  during  the 

191 


,    »r  .•»(>/:    ./ 


»"   %■   f*y^  '■- 


192 


State  of  New  York 


year  that  has  passed  since  that  time;  and  therefore  to  him,  with  full  confidence,  with 
unswerving  faith,  we  ask  that  he  will  present  to  the  highest  official  of  this  land  of 
ours  that  we  love  so  well,  the  respect  that  we  ever  have  for  authority,  the  love  that 
we  have  for  those  who  rule  over  us  under  God.     (Applause.) 

We  pray  God  that  he  may  direct  the  steps  and  strengthen  the  manhood  of  those 
who  rule  over  us.  This  is  our  wish  in  presenting  our  beloved  Governor  Hughes  to 
make  the  address  of  welcome.     (Applause.) 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Mr.  President,  Cardinal  Cibbons,  Reverend  Fathers, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  If  Champlain  could  only  have  seen  you!  (Laughter.) 
There  is  no  brighter  spot  in  the  administrative  work  of  the  past  two  years,  or  rather, 
there  was  no  greater  delight  in  the  administrative  pleasures  of  the  past  two  years 
than  the  visit  to  Cliff  Haven  and  the  opportunity  to  meet  with  those  engaged  in  the 
important  work  of  this  school.  It  probably  has  passed  from  your  minds,  but  never 
shall  I  forget  the  beautiful  August  day  when  I  stood  for  the  first  time  upon  this 
platform  and  received  your  greetings.  I  then  wished  you  godspeed  and  you  in  turn 
invited  me  to  come  again  officially.  That  was  not  easy.  (Laughter).  Your 
reverend  leader  expressed  the  hope  that  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  the  Ter- 
centenary of  the  Champlain  discovery,  I  might  be  here  as  Chief  Executive.  It  was 
not  an  easy  thing  to  accept  that  invitation,  but  I  did  it.  (Applause.)  And  it  has 
added  greatly  to  the  enjoyment  of  this  week  to  have  the  opportunity  to  come  here 
upon  the  errand  which  engages  me  to-day. 

Champlain's  discovery  is  peculiarly  interesting  to  us  all  because  of  the  faith  that 
inspired  him.  He  was  a  great  soldier  before  he  took  the  voyage  of  discovery;  he 
was  one  of  the  most  loyal,  effective,  courageous  soldiers  of  France,  but  even  above 
the  standard  of  his  king,  commanding  his  first  and  undying  loyalty,  was  the  banner 
of  the  cross.  (Great  applause.)  Faith  inspired  him  as  he  came  across  the  waters 
to  him  unknown  and  braved  the  dangers  of  the  North  Atlantic.  He  had  little  idea 
what  the  future  would  bring  to  this  valley,  of  charm  and  of  rare  beauty,  but  he  had, 
along  with  the  courage,  something  —  you  might  say,  the  bravado,  of  the  man  of 
war,  with  the  piety  of  the  cloister;  and  he  longed  to  see  the  armies  of  the  Lord 
enlarged.  That  was  the  chief  object  of  his  coming  here.  It  turned  out  differently 
from  what  he  expected,  but  still  he  would  not  be  dissatisfied,  because  along  our 
different  paths  and  coming  from  different  centers  of  religious  influence  and  with 
varying  conceptions,  we  are  all  really  moving  forward  according  to  the  divine  pro- 
gramme of  progress,  that  we  may  realize  in  this  fair  land,  the  highest  ideals  of 
humanity  by  establishing  the  reign  of  God  on  earth.     (Applause.) 

And  without  any  thought  of  derogation,  and  in  this  time  of  peace,  realizing  the 
splendid  illustrations  of  their  respective  races,  as  given  us  by  France  and  England, 
we  are  still  glad  that  neither  flag  indicates  sovereignty  here,  but  that  the  people  of 


T 


MGR.  E.  P.  ROY 

Auxiliary  Bishop  of  Quebec 


CARDINAL   GIBBONS 


REV.   P.  J.   BARRETT 


RT.  REV.  THOMAS  M.  A.  BURKE 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  193 


the  United  States  forever  control  this  important  highway.  (Applause.)  Here  is 
the  land  of  faith  and  at  the  same  time  of  tolerance;  here  is  the  land  of  sentiment  and 
of  devotion  to  a  far  greater  degree  than  most  people  think,  and  at  the  same  time 
here  is  the  land  free  from  bigotry,  where  each  man  recognizes  the  right  of  his 
neighbor  to  serve  God  according  to  his  own  light.  (Applause.)  And  it  gives  me 
the  profoundest  pleasure  to  present  to  you  this  morning  a  man  who  not  only  officially 
represents  a  nation  devoted  to  these  ideals,  who  not  only  in  his  person  stands  for  the 
authority  of  the  people  and  the  dignity  of  a  great  trust,  but  who  in  his  own  breadth 
of  vision,  in  his  judicial  temperament,  in  his  admirable  poise,  in  his  intense  love  of 
justice,  personifies  to  us  all  that  which  we  would  have  the  head  of  this  nation  repre- 
sent.    (Great  applause.) 

Before  the  prolonged  applause  which  greeted  this  introduction  had 
subsided,  and  ere  the  President  could  speak,  six  little  girls  in  white 
marched  quickly  to  the  platform,  the  foremost  one,  with  a  courtesy, 
presenting  him  with  a  bouquet  on  behalf  of  the  school.  President  Taft 
acknowledged  the  gift  by  taking  the  child's  hand  while  he  bowed  his 
thanks  to  the  audience  which  renewed  its  applause.    He  spoke  as  follows: 

President  Taft  at  Cliff  Haven 

President  TaFT  - —  Cardinal  Cibbons,  Governor  Hughes,  Doctor  McMahon 
and  My  Fellow  Citizens  of  the  Catholic  Summer  School:  Governor  Hughes  and  I 
are  going  through  these  three  or  four  days  delivering  speeches  at  each  other 
(laughter)  and  expressing  our  opinions  of  each  other  (laughter)  in  a  way  that  will 
enable  us  when  we  get  through  to  do  it  with  greater  facility  (laughter).  The  truth 
is  that  the  gift  of  eloquence  and  speech  which  Governor  Hughes  has  needs  no  prac- 
tice, but  I  have  to  have  a  little.      (Laughter.) 

I  would  be  without  that  which  makes  a  man  if  I  did  not  appreciate  to  the  full  the 
kindly  words  of  your  distinguished  Governor,  and  if  I  did  not  congratulate  the  State 
of  New  York  in  having  a  Governor  who  represents  the  highest  ideals.  (Applause.) 
One  is  almost  carried  off  his  feet  before  such  an  audience.  There  is  something  in 
the  atmosphere  that  suggests  a  flying  machine  (laughter),  as  if  you  were  all  so  full 
of  joy  that  that  element  in  you  could  raise  you  up.  And  that  is  the  way  it  ought  to 
be,  and  I  congratulate  you  that  such  is  the  feeling.  The  combination  of  work  and 
pleasure,  the  cultivation  of  health  on  the  one  hand  and  of  intellect  on  the  other,  and 
of  religious  faith  above  all  (applause),  under  such  beautiful  surroundings,  is  cal- 
culated to  make  everyone  enthusiastic,  and  I  share  that  enthusiasm  to  the  full. 
14 


194  State  of  New  York 


I  am  not  a  Catholic,  but  I  have  in  the  last  ten  years  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with 
the  Catholic  Church.  (Applause.)  My  lot  did  not  carry  me  into  a  part  of  the  world 
that  made  me  as  familiar  with  the  French  explorers,  the  French  leaders  of  civiliza- 
tion like  Champlain,  as  it  did  into  the  region  of  those  leaders  that  came  from  Spain; 
into  the  Philippines,  where  the  influence,  the  same  influence  that  carried  Champlain 
here,  and  the  same  ideals  that  controlled  him,  controlled  men  equally  brave,  and  in 
certain  respects  more  successful  —  Magellan,  Legaspi,  who  came  out  to  the  Philip- 
pines, and  wdth  four  or  five  Augustinian  monks,  converted  to  Christianity  that  entire 
archipelago  now  having  some  seven  or  eight  million  souls,  and  then  perhaps  500,000, 
the  only  community,  the  only  people,  in  the  entire  Orient  that  to-day  as  a  people  are 
Christians.     (Applause.) 

There  is  on  the  Monetta,  the  great  public  square  facing  the  ocean  in  Manila,  a 
statue  carved  by  a  great  Spanish  sculptor,  Karol,  in  which  there  are  two  figures, 
Legaspi  holding  the  standard  of  Spain,  and  with  his  sword  drawTi;  and  behind  him 
Erdinator,  a  Rigeletto  monk,  holding  aloft  behind  all  the  cross.  And  there  is  in 
that  statue  such  movement,  such  force,  such  courage,  that  I  used  to  like,  even  in  the 
hot  days  of  Manila,  to  stand  in  front  of  it  and  enjoy  it,  as  I  thought  I  got  the  spirit 
that  the  sculptor  had  tried  to  put  in  there,  of  loyalty  to  country  and  faith  in  God. 
(Applause.) 

I  think  we  are  reaching  a  point  in  this  country  where  we  are  very  much  more 
tolerant  of  everything  and  of  everybody  in  the  past  and  where  we  are  giving  justice 
where  justice  ought  to  be  given.  We  are  no  longer  cherishing  those  narrow 
prejudices  that  come  from  denominational  bigotry,  and  we  are  able  to  recognize  in 
the  past  those  great  heroes  of  any  religious  Christian  faith  and  appreciate  the  virtues 
that  were  expected  to  follow  the  examples  that  they  have  made  for  us.  (Applause.) 
Religious  tolerance  is  rather  a  modern  invention.  (Laughter.)  Those  of  us  of 
Puritan  ancestry  have  been  apt  to  think  that  we  were  the  inventors  of  religious 
tolerance.  Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  what  we  were  in  favor  of,  if  I  can  speak  for 
Puritan  ancestry,  was  having  a  right  to  worship  God  as  we  pleased  and  having 
everybody  else  worship  God  in  the  same  way.  (Laughter.)  But  we  have  worked 
that  all  out  now  (applause),  and  there  has  been  a  great  change,  I  am  sure  His 
Eminence  the  Cardinal  will  agree  with  me,  even  in  the  last  twenty-six  years. 

I  have  had  personal  evidence  of  it  in  some  of  the  work  that  we  had  to  do  in  the 
Philippines.  Fifty  years  ago,  if  it  had  been  proposed  to  send  a  representative  of 
the  Government  to  the  Vatican  to  negotiate  and  settle  matters  arising  in  a  country 
like  the  Philippines  between  the  Government  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  it 
would  have  given  rise  to  the  severest  condemnation  and  criticism  on  the  part  of  those 
who  would  have  feared  some  diplomatic  connection  between  the  Government  and  the 
Vatican,  contrary  to  our  traditions.      But  within  the  last  ten  years  that  has  been 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  195 


done  with  the  full  concurrence  of  all  religious  denominations,  believing  that  the  way 
to  do  things  is  to  do  them  directly,  and  when  a  matter  is  to  be  settled,  that  it  should 
be  settled  with  the  head  of  the  Church,  who  has  authority  to  act.  (Applause.) 
And  so  it  fell  to  my  lot,  my  dear  friends.  (Applause.)  And  in  that  respect,  just  by 
good  luck,  I  came  to  be  an  exception  which  perhaps  will  stand  for  many  years,  as 
the  sole  exception,  of  being  a  representative  of  the  United  States  at  the  Vatican. 
(Applause.)  And  there  I  had  the  great  pleasure  of  meeting  that  distinguished 
statesman  and  Pontiff,  Leo  the  XIII  (applause),  a  man  of  92,  whom  I  expected 
to  find  rather  a  lay  figure  directed  by  the  councils  of  the  cardinals  than  one  active  in 
control  of  the  Church.  But  I  was  most  pleasantly  disappointed,  for  even  at  92  he 
was  able  to  withstand  an  address  of  mine  of  twenty  minutes.  (Laughter.)  And  to 
catch  the  points  of  that  address,  and  to  respond  in  a  speech  of  some  fifteen  minutes, 
showing  how  fully  he  appreciated  the  issue  that  there  was  and  its  importance.  We 
did  not  succeed  in  bringing  about  exactly  the  agreement  which  was  asked,  and  he 
realized  that;  but  he  was  as  full  of  friendly  enthusiasm  for  the  settlement  of  the 
issue  as  was  f)ossible;  and  after  two  audiences  which  I  had  the  honor  of  holding 
with  him,  at  the  close  of  the  second  one  he  said,  "  You  haven't  got  exactly  what  you 
want  in  exactly  the  way  you  want  it,  but,"  said  he,  "  I  am  going  to  send  a  repre- 
sentative of  mine  to  the  Philippines,  with  instructions  to  see  that  the  matter  is  settled 
justly  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  '* 
(applause),  and  it  was  so  settled,  and  I  am  gratified  to  say  that  every  question 
between  the  Church  and  the  State  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  which  were  so  closely 
united  that  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  make  a  separation  of  the  two,  as  it  ought 
to  be  made,  under  our  Constitution  —  that  every  question  has  been  settled  fairly 
and  justly  to  both  sides,  and  that  no  bad  taste  or  feeling  of  injustice  remains  on  either 
side  with  respect  to  those  questions,     (Applause. ) 

And  now,  my  dear  friends,  I  ought  to  talk  about  Champlain,  and  I  could  talk 
somewhat  about  him,  because  I  appreciate  as  highly  as  anyone  can,  those  motives 
that  governed  him  and  his  high  character  as  a  man  and  the  obstacles  that  he  had  to 
overcome;  but  when  I  get  up  to  talk  on  any  subject  I  am  a  little  bit  in  the  attitude 
of  the  doctor  who  could  cure  fits  and  that  is  all  he  could  cure,  and  so  he  wanted 
to  throw  his  patients  into  that  condition.  (Laughter).  I  can  only  talk  about  the 
Philippines,  and  that  is  what  I  have  done.  (Laughter  and  applause).  But  I  hope 
that  that  subject  has  some  application  to  the  thoughts  of  the  morning.  I  thank  you, 
my  dear  friends.  I  thank  the  reverend  fathers,  and  His  Eminence  the  Cardinal,  for 
the  cordial  reception  that  you  have  given  to  the  civil  head  of  New  York  and  to  the 
civil  head  of  the  nation.     (Great  applause.) 


196  State  of  New  York 

Dr.  Dennis  J.  McMahon  —  His  Eminence  will  say  a  few  closing 
words : 

Cardinal  GiBBONS  —  Mr.  President,  Governor  Hughes:  I  do  not  intend, 
indeed,  to  inflict  any  additional  penance  on  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  Nation  nor 
His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  the  State  by  any  extended  remarks  because  they 
are  passing  through  a  most  severe  ordeal  at  the  present  time,  and  if  I  am  not  very 
much  mistaken  when  this  week  has  passed  away,  the  avoirdupois  of  the  President 
will  not  be  quite  as  great.  But  we  all  treasure  up  in  our  hearts  a  most  profound 
sense  of  gratitude  for  the  presence  of  the  President  and  of  the  Governor  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  we  are  thankful  to  them  not  only  for  their  physical  presence; 
they  might  have  come  and  bowed  to  you  all  and  retired  afterwards;  it  might  be  a 
formal  presentation;  but  they  have  fired  us  all  by  the  beautiful  sentiments  that  they 
have  uttered  on  this  occasion.  (Applause.)  And  if  it  were  possible,  they  have 
filled  us  with  a  greater  love  for  God  and  love  for  country.  Every  word  was  an 
inspiration.  And,  Mr.  President  and  Mr.  Governor,  when  you  and  I  have  passed 
away  the  rising  generation  will  treasure  up  in  their  hearts  and  in  their  memories  the 
beautiful  sentiments  that  you  have  uttered  to-day.  (Applause.)  You  tell  us  what  is 
true,  that  we  have  indeed  liberty  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  that  is  to  say,  every 
man  can  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience  and  no  man  can 
make  another  have  the  same  'doxy  that  he  has  himself.  Every  man  has  a  right  to 
think  for  himself  and  to  worship  God  according  to  the  light  that  God  has  given  to 
him.  Here,  thank  God,  we  have  liberty  without  license  and  authority  without 
despotism,  where  our  government  holds  over  us  the  aegis  of  its  protection  without 
interfering  with  us  in  the  God-given  rights  of  conscience,     (Applause.) 

The  President  has  alluded  to  the  part  he  has  taken  in  reconciling  matters  in  the 
Philippine  Islands;  he  could  say  in  more  senses  than  one,  both  physical  and  intel- 
lectually, in  the  words  of  Virgil,  "  Quorum  pars  magna  fui,"  for  the  leading  part  in 
that  memorable  transaction  that  passed  over  to  us  those  islands  of  the  Philippines 
without  any  tumult,  without  any  disagreement  with  the  Holy  Leo;  and  I  may  men- 
lion  here  on  this  occasion,  that  it  was  my  happy  privilege  to  have  the  honor  and  the 
deep  pleasure  of  dining  with  the  President  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  Holy  Leo 
and  to  the  Vatican.  I  shall  never  forget  that  interesting  occasion;  and  now  I  beg 
in  my  own  name,  and  in  the  name  of  the  president  of  the  Summer  School  and  of  all 
its  officers,  to  return  our  hearty  thanks  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Governor  of  the  State.     (Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  197 

After  the  remarks  of  Cardinal  Gibbons,  the  audience  joined  in  a 
closing  song  "  Holy  God,  We  Praise  Thy  Name,"  and  then  dispersed. 

The  President,  the  foreign  ambassadors.  Cardinal  Gibbons,  and  other 
distinguished  guests,  were  entertained  at  luncheon  at  the  residence  of 
Hon.  Smith  M.  Weed.  After  the  luncheon  hour  President  Taft  and 
guests  were  driven  to  Plattsburgh  Barracks  where  a  large  reviewing 
and  speakers'  stand  had  been  erected.  Members  of  the  Legislature 
and  other  guests  went  by  special  train  from  Hotel  Champlain  to  Platts- 
burgh Barracks,  where  was  held  a  parade  and  review  of  military  organiza- 
tions including  the  regular  troops  and  also  the  New  York  National  Guard 
encamped  there.  The  great  parade-ground,  perhaps  the  finest  in 
America,  with  its  setting  of  woods  and  lake  and  distant  mountains,  made 
a  striking  picture.  Life  and  spirit  were  given  to  it  by  the  thousands  of 
spectators,  the  movement  of  the  smartly  uniformed  troops,  stepping  to  the 
strains  of  martial  music,  with  steeds  prancing  to  the  bugle  calls;  the 
waving  of  banners  and  the  boom  of  cannon.  Especially  were  the  foreign 
spectators  much  impressed  and  delighted.  The  chairman  of  this  occasion 
was  the  Hon.  H.  Wallace  Knapp,  chairman  of  the  New  York  Com- 
mission, who  introduced  the  first  speaker,  the  Governor  of  New  York,  in 
the  following  words: 

Chairman  Knapp  —  Discovered  three  hundred  years  ago,  this  lake 
and  the  adjoining  valleys  early  became  the  great  field  of  strife  between 
the  forces  contending  for  the  national  supremacy  of  a  mighty  continent. 
Likewise,  it  was  one  of  the  great  battle-grounds  from  which  a  new  nation 
arose,  stable  and  firm.  Thus,  as  we  meet  to-day  to  commemorate  the 
three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain,  it  is 
particularly  fitting  that  the  occasion  should  be  honored  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  great  nations  of  the  world.  This  is  a  bi-State  celebration 
of  the  States  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  and  we  have  with  us  the  two 
distinguished  Governors  of  these  States,  and  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to 
present  to  you  a  man  who  has  the  admiration  and  the  utmost  respect  of 
every  citizen  of  our  State  —  New  York's  most  distinguished  Governor, 
Charles  E.  Hughes. 


198  State  of  New  York 


Governor  HuGHES  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Mr.  President,  Fellow  Cilizem: 
Whether  I  turn  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  whether  I  address  those  here  or  there,  I 
find  beauty  and  inspiration.  (Applause.)  I  have  only  a  few  words  to  say;  for 
during  this  week  I  have  been  the  first  burnt  offering  on  every  occasion  (laughter) 
and  my  office  is  to  accustom  you,  after  the  witnessing  of  this  magnificent  spectacle, 
to  the  sound  of  the  human  voice  in  order  that  those  who  later  vnW  seriously  address 
you  may  have  an  audience  prepared  to  greet  their  efforts. 

On  Monday  at  old  Crown  Point  we  celebrated  the  discovery  of  Champlain  amid 
scenes  which  were  suggestive  of  the  strife  between  the  rival  Indian  races,  the  struggle 
between  the  European  powers  contending  for  supremacy,  and  the  eventual  conflict 
between  the  mother  country  and  her  colonies.  Yesterday,  still  more  impressively, 
were  celebrated  the  historic  events  connected  with  Fort  Ticonderoga;  but  to-day 
fittingly  marks  the  climax  of  our  celebration,  because  more  completely  here  than  else- 
where have  been  exhibited  the  amity  and  concord  uniting  the  nations  that  take  part 
in  this  commemoration.  (Applause.)  How  pleasant  it  is  to  think  that  we 
meet  jointly,  France,  England  and  the  United  States,  upon  the  field  of  Plattsburgh, 
to  witness  this  parade  of  arms  in  happy  sympathy.  (Applause.)  It  is  proper  at 
this  time,  and  there  may  be  no  other  occasion  equally  suitable,  that  I  should  express, 
as  Chief  Executive  of  the  State,  my  gratification  at  the  successful  issue  of  the  labors 
of  the  Commission,  which  have  made  this  celebration  possible.  Men  attached  by 
sentiment,  by  birth  and  long  association  to  this  favored  valley,  have  made  this  cele- 
bration the  chief  desire  of  their  hearts  and  the  burden  of  their  waking  hours  for 
many  months.  They  have  labored  together  that  you  might  not  only  enjoy  a  rare 
spectacle,  but  that  you  might  be  inspired  by  a  worthy  commemoration  of  the  events 
in  your  country's  history.  Amid  famous  guests  and  distinguished  orators  who  have 
delivered  addresses  of  rare  literary  quality,  let  us  stop  for  a  moment  to  do  just  honor 
to  the  men  who  have  represented  us  in  this  enterprise  —  the  gentlemen  of  the  Commis- 
sion—  I  give  them  my  thanks.      (Applause.) 

To-day  we  are  at  peace  with  all  the  world  —  even  vnih  Vermont.  (Applause.) 
How  glad  I  have  been  that  for  three  days  we  have  been  able  here  to  conduct  so 
satisfactorily  the  part  of  New  York,  even  compelling  our  rival  across  the  water  to 
do  us  the  courtesy  of  his  presence  and  to  give  us  a  friendly  word  of  cheer.  And 
how  I  dread  the  awful  morrow  when  we  shall  listen  to  the  claims  of  our  sister  State. 
(Laughter.)  To-day  we  stand  here  in  the  pride  and  pomp  of  the  Empire  State; 
but  to-morrow  your  Governor  will  tread  softly  and  humbly  amid  the  Green  Moun- 
tain boys.  (Laughter.)  They  have  Ethan  Allen  and  Seth  Warner,  and  they 
don't  think  we  have  much.  I  don't  know  what  Champlain  discovered  in  the  territory 
that  is  in  Vermont.  I  have  had  all  I  can  do  to  find  out  what  he  discovered  on  the 
New  York  shore.     (Laughter.)     I  am  filled  now  with  abounding  gratitude  that  he 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  199 


didn't  stop  at  any  more  places  (laughter),  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  am  glad 
that  the  population  of  this  valley  is  no  greater  and  that  there  are  no  more  rival  com- 
munities to  extend  the  period  of  rival  celebration. 

But  as  I  have  said,  to-day  we  are  at  peace  -with  all  the  world,  enjoying  the  finest 
fruits  of  the  discovery;  and  as  we  look  back  through  the  perspective  of  the  centuries, 
we  find  that  of  all  the  names  associated  with  this  country  —  with  this  particular 
valley  signalized  by  the  events  which  we  are  commemorating  —  perhaps  the  fore- 
most are  those  of  the  first  chieftain  and  the  last  victor.  And  I  will  couple,  for  your 
remembrance  on  this  occasion,  in  historic  Plattsburgh,  the  names  of  these  two  — ■ 
one  of  the  Old  World,  the  other  of  the  New  —  Samuel  Champlain  and  Thomas 
Macdonough.  (Applause.)  Separated  by  200  years,  they  were  much  alike. 
Each  a  distinguished  soldier,  each  knowing  the  perils  and  hardships  of  war,  each 
rejoicing  in  the  dehghts  of  victory,  each  a  pure-hearted  patriot.  Champlain  served  his 
country,  served  his  King,  and  bowed  before  his  God.  Thomas  Macdonough,  before 
the  contest  in  the  lake  by  Cumberland  Head,  in  the  War  of  1812,  the  last  engage- 
ment in  these  waters  —  the  last  struggle  that  this  valley  has  knowTi  —  bowed  his  knee 
before  the  God  of  Battles  more  anxious  that  he  should  do  right  and  serve  loyally  the 
flag  that  floated  o'er  him  than  that  he  should  win  any  individual  renown.  Mac- 
donough, called  to  service  here  as  a  young  man,  already  had  achieved  distinction, 
and  in  his  skill  on  these  waters,  in  his  preparedness  for  every  emergency,  in  his  match- 
less strategy,  and  his  final  victory,  he  raised  the  fame  of  American  seamanship  and 
naval  power  higher  than  it  was  raised  by  any  man  prior  to  the  Spanish  War. 
(Applause.) 

It  has  been  said,  by  the  late  President  of  the  United  States,  I  believe,  that  no  one 
in  our  annals  has  contributed  more  to  American  fame.  How  pleasant  it  is  that  we 
search  even  the  scenes  of  bloodshed  for  characters  to  admire  and  that  ancient  enemies 
join  in  just  tribute  to  those  who  so  bitterly  fought  on  the  scene  of  historic  contests. 
(Applause.)  There  can  be  no  enmity  in  the  future  between  France  and  the  United 
States,  or  between  England  and  the  United  States,  and  our  secure  bond  of  friend- 
ship is  not  to  be  found  in  treaties,  but  in  the  sincere  regard  that  the  people  of  each 
of  these  nations  have  for  what  is  strong  and  brave  and  pure  in  the  people  of  the  other. 
We  are  bound  by  the  ties  of  human  sympathy  and  human  fellowship  and  the  thought 
of  war  becomes  horrible  because  we  admire  our  friends  of  other  nations  too  much 
to  want  to  fight  them.  (Applause.)  We  love  our  fellow  men  more  than  we  did, 
and  we  can  go  back  with  our  British  friends  to  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh ;  we  can  go 
back  with  them  to  Ticonderoga  —  French  and  English  can  talk  over  the  campaigns 
of  Montcalm  and  of  Wolfe  —  desirous  only  to  pay  the  just  meed  of  praise,  solicitous 
for  historical  verity,  thinking  of  the  strife  of  the  past  only  that  we  may  accentuate 
the  concord  of  the  present.      (Applause.)      So   I   link  together  the  pure-minded 


200  State  of  New  York 


Champlain,  who  first  saw  these  waters,  the  man  of  God  as  well  as  of  battle,  the  man 
who  loved  his  fellow  men  —  although  circumstances  and  the  standards  of  his  age 
made  him  frequently  shed  their  blood  —  and  the  pure-minded  American  patriot  who 
saw  the  last  of  the  bloody  harvest  on  this  field  of  our  own  times  —  Macdonough  — 
and  thus  we  knit  up  the  past  and  the  present,  and  because  the  past  is  what  it  is,  we 
look  forward  to  the  future  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  divine  plan,  and  for  our 
progress  toward  the  far  off  divine  event,  with  absolute  confidence  and  trust  in 
Almighty  God. 

Chairman  Knapp  —  After  the  remarks  by  Governor  Hughes,  there  is 
little  to  say  regarding  Vermont,  except  to  present  a  man  who  has  made  his 
own  way  in  hfe  and  who,  by  honesty  of  purpose,  has  endeared  himself  to, 
and  obtained  the  utmost  confidence  of  the  citizens  of  his  State.  I  present 
the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  George  H.  Prouty. 

Governor  Prouty  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Your  Excellence),  Mr.  President,  Ladies 
and  Gentlemen:  I  think  that  the  last  speaker  said  that  he  had  been  offered  as  a 
burnt  offering  for  three  days.  Well,  now,  if  that  is  correct,  what  do  you  think  of 
me  being  offered  every  time  after  his  speech?  I  can  assure  you,  however,  that 
whatever  speech  I  make  to-day  will  be  a  very  short  one,  because  I  realize  full  well 
what  you  have  come  here  to-day  to  hear,  and  I  do  not  intend  in  any  way  to  deprive 
you  of  any  of  the  pleasure  which  you  expect,  and  rightfully.  I  do  simply  come  here 
to-day  as  the  representative  of  a  sister  State  taking  part  in  this  great  celebration,  to 
extend  to  you  the  good  wishes  and  the  love  and  the  respect  of  the  State  of  Vermont. 
(Applause. )     And  that  I  do  now  with  my  whole  heart,  Mr.  Governor. 

You  have  an  extremely  modest  Governor.  He  said  that  to-morrow  he  would 
tread  softly.  He  is  modest,  but  even  his  modesty  will  not  allow  him  to  tread  softly 
after  he  receives  the  good  wishes  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  as  he  will 
to-morrow.      (Applause. ) 

This  celebration  is  in  commemoration  of  a  great  event,  and  you  wnll  hear  of  that 
later,  but  it  is  an  event  which  to  the  two  States  of  New  York  and  Vermont  is  of 
great  moment,  and  we  should  consider  what  it  means  to  us.  We  celebrated  only 
last  Sunday  and  Monday  a  great  day  of  independence.  If  it  had  not  been  for  men 
like  Samuel  Champlain  and  others  of  his  character  and  nature,  we  should  not  have 
been  here  to  celebrate  that  day,  and  it  seemed  extremely  fitting  at  that  time  that  the 
two  events  should  be  celebrated  as  they  were.  We  can  only  gain  the  benefit  from 
this  celebration  by  remembering  something  about  what  it  meant  to  us  that  these  men 
should  have  done  what  they  did  in  the  past,  and  we  ought  to-day  to  draw  the  lesson 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  201 


from  those  events  which  will  be  of  benefit  to  us.     Those  matters  I  am  sure  will  be 
brought  to  your  attention. 

Yesterday  it  was  my  pleasure  to  attend  the  celebration  at  Ticonderoga.  At  that 
time  I  took  away  considerable  of  the  State  of  New  York.  To-day  I  shall  take 
away  with  me  something  else  of  much  greater  value:  I  shall  take  away  the  inspiration 
which  comes  from  an  audience  like  this;  I  shall  take  away  with  me  the  inspiration 
which  comes  from  feeling  that  the  people  of  the  great  Empire  State  of  New  York 
realize  what  this  celebration  means;  and  that  they  are  going  to  try  in  the  future  to 
gain  the  greatest  benefit  from  it.  The  State  of  Vermont  thanks  the  State  of  New 
York  for  all  it  has  done  in  assisting  in  this  celebration.  I  believe  it  was  our  good 
privilege  to  have  thought  of  this  and  to  have  first  suggested  it.  From  that  time  on 
this  State  has  given  us  its  best  assistance,  and  I  wish  to  thank  you.  Governor  Hughes, 
for  the  State  of  Vermont  for  what  you  have  done.  I  want  also  to  thank  the  Com- 
mission of  the  State  of  New  York  for  what  they  have  done  in  working  together  wath 
us  to  get  up  this  great  celebration.  As  I  said  before,  I  am  not  going  to  take  your 
time,  because  you  have  something  much  better  to  listen  to,  but  I  do  want  again  to 
extend  the  good  wishes  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  and  I  want  you  to  remember  that 
while  we  came  over  here  once  or  twice  when  we  were  not  welcome,  that  we  have 
forgotten  all  those  things,  that  there  are  no  hard  feelings  and  if  you  will  come  to  us 
to-morrow  and  in  the  future  we  v^ll  try  to  show  you  that  that  is  the  fact. 
(Applause.) 

Chairman  Knapp  —  In  the  early  history  of  this  country  this  body 
of  water  marked  the  Hne  of  cleavage  between  English  influence  on  the 
south  and  French  influence  to  the  north.  But  for  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  we  have  been  drafting  upon  the  citizenship  of  French  descent  in 
the  building  up  of  this  country;  and,  as  we  meet  here  to-day,  no  man  can 
forget  that  it  was  the  French  voyager  who  discovered  this  lake,  and  that 
in  the  succeeding  years  France  —  whether  under  a  monarchial  or  a  repub- 
lican form  of  government  —  has  been  the  friend  of  the  United  States.  I 
therefore  take  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you  its  present  Ambassador, 
Monsieur  Jusserand. 

Ambassador  JussERAND  —  Mr.  President,  Mr.  Chairman,  Your  Excellencies, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  My  chief  object  in  addressing  you  is  to  express  the  gratitude 
of  France  for  the  admirable  fashion  in  which  you  have  honored  the  memory  of  one 
of  her  sons,  Samuel  de  Champlain.     (Applause.) 


202  State  of  New  York 

The  occasion  is  truly  a  memorable  one.  Your  Commission  has  done  wonders,  and 
this  brilliant  assemblage  is  the  best  token  of  the  grateful  admiration  preserved  in  this 
land  for  one  who  discovered  one  of  its  most  beautiful  spots. 

You  have  here  the  Governors  of  the  two  States,  you  have  my  friend  the  British 
Ambassador,  and  then  you  have  one  whom  you  all  love  and  admire,  and  so  do  I, 
President  Taft.  (Applause.)  It  is  particularly  appropriate  that  President  Taft 
should  be  here  to  commemorate  the  anniversary  of  Champlain,  because  he,  too,  has 
in  his  great  heart  what  I  may  call  a  colonial  feeling.  He  knows  what  it  is  to  plant 
the  flag  of  a  country  in  a  far  off  land  and  to  try  to  improve  that  land.  (Applause.) 
I  do  not  know  —  I  hope  he  had  —  I  do  not  know  whether  before  yesterday  or  the 
day  before  yesterday  he  had  read  the  complete  works  of  Champlain  (laughter),  but 
I  am  sure  that  the  spirit  of  Champlain,  and  what  there  was  best  in  him,  is  Vkdthin  the 
bosom  of  President  Taft.     (Applause.) 

Champlain,  the  first  time  he  came  over,  felt  that  the  man  who  lived  in  the  land, 
whoever  he  was,  deserved  help  and  friendship;  that,  whoever  he  was,  he  had  some 
good  qualities,  and  that  those  good  qualities  should  be  developed;  that  that  man 
should  not  be  destroyed,  but  should  be  raised.  That  feeling  Champlain  had,  that 
feeling  has  your  President.  And  there  are  people  over  the  water,  in  a  very  distant 
archipelago,  who  know  it  and  feel  it  and  who,  for  centuries,  will  bless  his  name. 
(Applause.) 

Another  great  quality  Champlain  had:  he  hated  a  useless  quarrel,  a  useless  war. 
When  he  became  the  friend  of  the  Hurons  and  the  Algonquins,  and  made  war  on 
the  Iroquois,  a  subject  that  is  going  to  be  treated  in  full  by  the  former  Secretary  of 
War,  and  former  Secretary  of  State,  your  honored  Senator,  Elihu  Root  —  when 
he  made  that  war,  he  did  it  because  he  could  not  help  it.  Had  he  not  had  for  his 
friends  the  Hurons  and  the  Algonquins,  he  would  have  had  no  friends  at  all,  and 
when  the  Hurons  came  to  him  and  asked  him  to  assist  them,  he  said  he  would, 
because  they  had  been  helpful  to  him.  He  asked  some  of  his  followers  whether 
they  would  come,  but  only  a  very  few  found  it  pleasant,  only  two,  in  fact,  went ;  the 
rest  stayed  behind.  And  what  happened?  The  Hurons  said,  these  are  not  men; 
they  can  make  war  only  on  beavers.  Champlain  wanted  the  people  who  had  stood 
as  friends  by  him  to  know  that  in  his  turn,  in  their  hour  of  need  he  would  stand  as 
a  friend  by  them. 

But  on  an  occasion  more  memorable  than  any  other,  Champlain  showed  he  would 
have  no  useless  quarrels,  for  when  he  first  discovered  this  lake,  we  know  from  unim- 
peachable testimony,  that  he  took  care  to  look  both  ways  at  once,  at  the  New  York 
side  and  Vermont  side,  and  so  he  discovered  the  two  and  at  the  same  moment. 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  203 

For  my  addressing  you  as  I  do  to-day,  one  reason  is  that  I  represent  in  this 
country  the  land  that  gave  birth  to  Champlain ;  another  is  that  in  this  brilliant  assembly 
so  many  of  these  for  whose  ancestors  he  founded  Quebec  are  present,  and  that  I 
have  one  particular  advantage  and  between  them  and  me  there  is  one  thing  in  com- 
mon, and  a  thing  of  immense  value:  the  same  language  was  taught  us  at  our  cradle. 

(The  Ambassador  then  addressed  the  audience  in  French.) 

Before  withdrawing  I  beg  to  renew,  in  the  name  of  the  French  Republic,  the 
expression  of  our  gratitude  for  what  has  been  done  in  this  friendly  American  land 
for  the  memory  of  that  great  Frenchman,  Samuel  de  Champlain.     (Applause.) 

Chairman  Knapp  —  There  are  few  historic  spots  where,  after  two 
centuries  of  alternating  struggle,  three  great  nations  can  join  in  com- 
memorating its  history,  each  with  the  feeling  that  there  they  have  had 
honorable  and  glorious  distinction  in  contributing  to  the  eventual  creation 
of  a  great  republic;  and  we  are  happy  to  have  with  us  to-day,  as  the 
representative  of  the  country  which,  even  amid  the  acrimony  of  revolu- 
tionary struggle,  we  were  pleased  to  call  the  Mother  Country,  so  dis- 
tinguished a  gentleman  as  the  present  Ambassador  of  Great  Britain. 
Known  to  Americans  first  as  a  man  in  the  world  of  letters,  we  have  since 
come  to  love  him  as  a  most  fitting  representative  of  the  great  English 
Nation  —  Ambassador  Bryce. 

Ambassador  Bryce  —  Mr.  President,  Your  Excellencies:  When  I  was  asked 
to  come  to  Plattsburgh,  I  was  told  that  at  the  parade  I  might  be  asked  to  offer  a  few 
remarks.  I  intended  to  offer  those  very  few  remarks  after  the  formal  historical 
address  which  was  to  be  delivered  by  your  Senator,  Mr.  Root,  and  I  thought  I 
should  find  in  Mr.  Root's  formal  historical  address  some  text  on  which  to  speak  to 
you,  because  I  knew  that  he  was  going  to  make  an  address  upon  a  very  interesting 
and  important  subject,  and  I  felt  certain  that  I  should  find  something  in  that  address 
from  which  I  should  differ.  (Laughter.)  Now,  unfortunately  Mr.  Root  is  going 
to  have  the  last  word,  and  I  shall  not  be  able  to  criticize  any  of  his  historical  views 
as  to  what  was  done  by  Great  Britain  in  North  America.  But  I  have  got  one 
remark  —  I  won't  keep  you,  for  there  are  many  speakers  to  follow  —  I  have  got 
one  remark  I  want  to  make.  Through  the  celebration,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the 
thought  that  has  been  rising  to  my  mind  has  been  this :  as  we  have  been  commemorat- 
ing the  events  of  300,  of  200  and  of  1  00  years  ago,  what  will  people  find  a  hundred 
years  hence  to  commemorate  that  we  have  done?      Who  will  commemorate  this 


204  State  of  New  York 


generation,  and  what  will  they  think  of  it?  There  are  many  things  that  we  think  we 
are  doing.  We  believe  that  we  are  enriching  the  world  with  inventions  and  dis- 
coveries and  changing  the  face  of  human  life  and  society,  but  there  is  only  one  thing 
that  I  shall  mention  to-day.  The  beginning  of  the  20th  century  seems  to  me  to 
be  the  time  when  the  old  national  feelings  of  animosity  have  been  effaced,  and  I 
think  there  is  nothing  that  this  generation  should  more  desire  to  be  remembered  by 
than  that  it  was  the  beginning  of  good  feeling  and  friendship  between  nations  that 
once  were  divided  by  animosity  and  hatred. 

From  this  platform,  gentlemen,  we  can  see  far  off  blue  mountains  that  rise  on  the 
frontier  of  Canada.  Even  less  than  a  century  ago  hostile  forces  marched  from 
Canada  here,  and  to-day  you  have  seen  Canadian  regiments  march  upon  this  parade 
ground.  I  do  not  know  whether  they  have  ever  marched  before  in  the  presence  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  but  you  have  given  them  a  welcome  which  came 
so  fully  from  the  heart  that  I  desire,  on  behalf  of  Britain  and  Canada,  to  thank  you 
for  it. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  there  were  two  martial  airs  that  have  stirred  the  hearts  of 
Englishmen  and  Scotchmen  for  many  a  year  played  by  those  bands.  One  of  them 
was  the  air  of  the  "  British  Grenadiers,"  to  the  strains  of  which  the  British  army  has 
fought  on  many  fields  in  every  part  of  the  world,  and  the  other  was  an  air  which 
commemorates  the  days  when  Englishmen  and  Scotchmen  warred  with  one  another 
and  bore  a  hatred  to  one  another  more  bitter  than  any  we  ever  bore  to  any  con- 
tinental country.  And  just  as  Englishmen  and  Scotchmen  now  are  knit  by  bonds 
of  the  closest  friendship  and  have  the  same  national  airs,  so  now  Canadians  and 
Americans  can  welcome  and  love  one  another,  and  can  live  with  a  friendship  and  a 
mutual  appreciation  which  makes  the  life  of  each  more  precious  and  better  than  it 
was.  And  we  can  go  into  Canada  to-day  and  Canadians  can  come  here,  and  each 
can  feel  that  they  are  welcome  guests. 

Mr.  President,  you  know  Canada  well,  and  you  are  already  loved  and  respected 
there.  I  can  tell  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  when  your  regiments  go  into 
Canada,  you  will  receive  a  welcome  as  warm  and  hearty  there  as  you  have  given  to 
our  regiments  to-day.  (Applause.)  And  just  as  men  of  French  speech  and  men 
of  English  speech  live  happily  together  in  Canada,  as  my  friend,  the  French 
Ambassador,  has  so  happily  said,  so  for  centuries  and  forever  to  come,  may  the 
people  of  Canada  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  live  side  by  side,  dying  in 
friendship  with  one  another  and  remembering  their  old  animosities  only  to  be  thankful 
to  Almighty  God,  who  has  moved  them  far  from  us,  never  to  return.     (Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  205 

Chairman  Knapp  —  The  days  of  strife  are  past.  Three  hundred 
years  ago  came  the  first  Frenchman  from  Canada.  This  lake  bears  his 
name.  Since  then  thousands  have  come  to  dwell  among  us  as  a  part  of 
this  great  nation,  and  to-day  our  brethren  across  the  border  join  with  us 
in  commemoration  of  historical  events.  As  representative  of  the  Canadian 
Government,  I  present  the  Honorable  Rodolphe  Lemieux,  Postmaster 
General  of  Canada. 

Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux  —  Mr.  President,  Your  Excellencies,  Ladies  and 
Cenilemen:  I  am  only  at  the  beginning  of  my  troubles.  This  is  my  first  speech, 
and  I  was  not  aware  until  a  few  moments  ago  that  I  would  have  to  speak.  How- 
ever, being  of  French  descent,  I  can  afford  to  say  a  few  words.  Since  my  arrival 
in  the  beautiful  city  of  Plattsburgh,  I  have  not  been  able  to  see  the  difference  between 
American  territory  and  Canadian  territory,  and  I  do  not  know  why  we  are  treaty 
making  at  the  present  time.  (Applause.)  It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  as  glorious 
weather  as  we  have  in  Canada  across  the  border;  it  seems  to  me  that  the  people  I 
meet  here  to-day  are  just  as  good,  just  as  nice,  just  as  hospitable  and  courteous  as 
those  you  meet  in  Canada,  and  I  meet  Englishmen  and  Frenchmen,  sterling  English- 
men like  our  worthy  Ambassador,  Mr.  James  Bryce,  and  superb  types  of  Frenchmen 
like  the  Ambassador  of  France,  M.  Jusserand.  This  is  a  good  Canadian  combina- 
tion, French  and  English,  living  in  peace,  harmony  and  concord,  after  having  fought 
so  many  years  ago.  But  I  say  that  I  am  in  Canada,  because  looking  at  your  very  dis- 
tinguished statesman,  the  President  of  the  United  Stales,  I  find  a  neighbor  from 
Murray  Bay  in  the  Province  of  Quebec.  (Laughter  and  applause.)  Yes,  and  I 
wish  to  warn  my  American  friends  that  if  after  four  years  —  no,  after  eight  years  — 
(great  applause)  or  twelve  years,  or  sixteen  years  (laughter) — if  then  the  cares  of 
office  have  made  that  great  statesman  thin  and  frail  (laughter)  send  him  back  to 
Canada;  send  him  back  to  the  Province  of  Quebec  at  Murray  Bay,  and  we  v^ll 
then  after  a  few  months  of  golfing  with  his  charming  family  send  him  back  to  you  as 
stout,  as  hearty,  as  hardy  a  specimen  of  humanity  as  he  appears  before  you  to-day. 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  speeches  I  have  to  deliver  are  prepared,  therefore,  I 
will  not  speak  any  longer,  except  to  say  this:  this  is  a  year  of  tercentenaries,  if  I  may 
so  express  it.  You  are  welcome,  my  friends,  to  celebrate  the  discovery  of  Lake 
Champlain  300  years  ago  by  our  great  ancestor,  the  father  of  New  France,  and  the 
founder  of  Quebec,  Samuel  de  Champlain,  but  you  can  also  celebrate,  and  we  will 
join  with  you  if  you  do  celebrate,  the  tercentenary  of  another  great  navigator,  of 
another  great  explorer,  Hudson,  who  gave  to  you  in  his  searches  for  the  riches  of 


206  State  of  New  York 


India  and  Cathay,  the  Hudson  River,  which  he  discovered  south  of  us,  and  Vk'ho 
gave  it  to  you  just  as  he  gave  to  us  Canadians  the  majestic  Bay  of  Hudson  to  the 
north.  Hudson  came  nearly  as  far  as  Albany,  and  he  could  have  shaken  hands 
with  Samuel  de  Champlain.  What  a  magnificent  page  of  history  was  made  300 
years  ago! 

Hudson  and  Champlain  came  not  to  declare  war  on  the  Indian  tribes.  Cham- 
plain  at  least  came  to  evangelize  this  continent,  with  his  missionaries  in  their  black 
robes.  These  men  came  here  v«th  a  mission  of  peace,  full  of  humanity,  full  of 
justice.  Let  us  learn  from  those  men,  let  us  learn  from  that  glorious  past,  what  to 
do  in  the  future. 

Under  the  inspiration  of  the  great  statesman  who  is  now  at  the  head  of  affairs  in 
this  American  commonwealth  you  are  beginning  to  realize  the  dream  of  Champlain. 
He  was  the  first  to  say  that  there  should  be  a  canal  at  Panama  in  order  to  reach 
the  far  East.  Under  the  vigorous  and  patriotic  policy  of  President  Taft  that  dream 
will  soon  be  realized. 

Champlain  did  not  only  discover  that  magnificent  sheet  of  water;  he  also  dis- 
covered and  surveyed  the  River  Ottawa  and  its  tributaries,  and  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  not  President  Taft,  but  the  Prime  Minister  of  Canada,  Sir  Wilfred 
Laurier,  will  realize  the  dream  of  Champlain  and  give  us  the  Georgian  Canal  in 
order  to  bring  from  our  far  West  the  riches  which  it  contains. 

We  learn  many  things,  gentlemen,  from  these  great  men,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  for 
us  to  be  here  with  you  to-day,  because  men  like  Champlain,  men  like  Hudson,  men 
like  Macdonough,  as  stated  a  moment  ago  by  our  good  friend,  the  Governor  of  New 
York,  do  not  belong  only  to  one  race,  they  do  not  belong  only  to  one  people;  they 
belong  to  humanity,  and  we  claim  a  share  in  them.  (Applause.)  But  I  must  not 
speak  further.  I  thank  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  for  your  kindness,  and  I  hope 
that  Vermont  will  give  us  as  nice  weather  as  we  have  to-day.     (Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  207 

Chairman  Knapp  —  The  formal  historical  address  will  be  given  by 
a  gentleman  who  needs  no  introduction  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of 
New  York  —  the  former  Secretary  of  State  and  the  present  Senator  from 
the  State  of  New  York  —  the  Honorable  Elihu  Root. 

THE  IROQUOIS  AND  THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  AMERICA 
Address  of  the  Honorable  ElihU  Root. 

It  is  no  ordinary  event  that  we  celebrate. 

The  beauty  of  this  wonderful  lake,  first  revealed  to  the  eye  of  civilized  man  by 
the  visit  of  Samuel  Champlain  three  hundred  years  ago;  the  powerful  personality, 
noble  character,  and  romantic  career  of  ihe  discoverer:  the  historic  importance  of 
this  controlling  line  of  strategic  military  communication,  along  which  have  passed  in 
successive  generations  the  armies  whose  conflicts  were  to  determine  the  control  and 
destinies  of  great  empires:  the  value  to  Canada  and  to  the  United  States  of  this 
natural  pathway  of  commerce:  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  noble  states  that 
have  arisen  on  the  opposing  shores:  their  contributions  to  the  wealth  of  mankind,  to 
civil  and  religious  liberty,  to  the  world's  progress  in  civilization  —  all  these,  with- 
draw the  first  coming  of  the  white  man  to  Lake  Champlain  from  the  dull  and  unin- 
teresting level  of  the  commonplace;  while  comparative  antiquity,  so  attractive  and 
inspiring  to  the  people  of  the  New  World,  lends  dignity  and  romance  to  the  figures 
and  the  acts  that  have  escaped  oblivion  through  centuries. 

Even  a  dull  imagination  must  be  stirred  as  it  dwells  upon  the  influence  which  the 
events  attending  the  discovery  were  to  have,  upon  the  issue  of  the  great  struggle 
between  France  and  Great  Britain  for  the  control  of  the  continent:  the  struggle 
between  the  two  white  races  for  the  opportunity  to  colonize  and  expand,  and  between 
the  two  systems  of  law  and  civil  poHty,  for  the  direction  and  development  of  civiliza- 
tion among  the  millions  who  were  to  people  the  vast  region  extending  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  and  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  frozen  limits  of  the  North. 

Authentic  history  records  that  late  in  June,  I  609,  Champlain,  accompanied  by 
several  white  companions  and  by  a  great  array  of  Algonquin  Indians  of  the  Saint 
Lawrence  Valley,  left  the  French  station  on  the  site  of  the  old  Indian  village  of 
Stadacona,  where  now  stands  the  City  of  Quebec,  upon  an  expedition  intended  by 
the  Indians  for  war  and  by  the  whites  for  exploration.  They  proceeded  in  canoes 
up  the  Saint  Lawrence  and  turned  south  into  the  Richelieu,  and,  in  the  early  days 
of  July,  after  many  vicissitudes  and  the  desertion  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Indians, 
they  dragged  their  canoes  around  the  rapids  of  the  river  and  came  to  the  foot  of  the 
lake  on  whose  shores  we  stand.  They  proceeded  up  the  lake  with  all  the  precautions 
of  Indian  warfare  in  an  enemy's  country.     As  they  approached  the  head  of  the  lake 


208  State  of  New  York 


they  rested  concealed  by  day,  and  urged  forward  their  canoes  by  night.  At  last, 
in  this  month  of  July,  three  hundred  years  ago,  they  came  upon  a  war  party  of  the 
Iroquois.  Both  parties  landed,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  Ticonderoga, 
and,  with  the  coming  of  the  dawn,  joined  battle.  Protected  by  the  light  armor  of 
the  period,  Champlain  advanced  to  the  front  in  full  view  of  the  contending  parties, 
and,  as  the  Iroquois  drew  their  bows  upon  him,  he  fired  his  arquebuse.  One  of  his 
white  companions  also  fired.  The  Iroquois  chief  and  several  of  his  warriors  fell 
killed  or  wounded;  and  the  entire  band,  amazed  and  terror  stricken  by  their  first 
experience  with  the  inexplicable,  miraculous,  and  death-dealing  power  of  firearms, 
fled  in  dismay.  They  were  pursued  by  the  Algonquins,  some  were  killed,  some 
were  taken  prisoners,  and  the  remainder  returned  to  their  homes  to  spread  through 
all  the  tribes  of  the  Iroquois  the  story  that  a  new  enemy  had  arisen  bringing  unheard 
of  and  supernatural  powers  to  the  aid  of  their  traditional  Algonquin  foes.  The  shot 
from  Champlain's  arquebuse  had  determined  the  part  that  was  to  be  played  in  the 
approaching  conflict  by  the  most  powerful  military  force  among  the  Indians  of 
North  America.  It  had  made  the  confederacy  of  the  Iroquois  and  all  its  nations 
and  dependencies  the  implacable  enemies  of  the  French  and  the  fast  friends  of  the 
English  for  all  the  long  struggle  that  was  to  come. 

A  century  or  more  before  the  white  settlement  five  Indian  nations  of  the  same 
stock  and  language,  under  the  leadership  of  extraordinary  political  genius,  had  formed 
a  confederacy  for  the  preservation  of  internal  peace  and  for  common  defense  against 
external  attack.  Their  territories  extended  in  I  609  from  the  Saint  Lawrence  to 
the  Susquehanna;  from  Lake  Champlain  and  the  Hudson  to  the  Genesee,  and,  a 
few  years  later,  to  the  Niagara.  There,  dwelt  side  by  side  the  Mohawks,  the 
Oneidas,  the  Onondagas,  the  Cayugas,  and  the  Senecas,  in  the  firm  union  of 
Ho-de-no-sau-nee  —  the  Long  House  of  the  Iroquois. 

The  Algonquin  tribes  that  surrounded  them  were  still  in  the  lowest  stage  of 
industrial  life  and  for  their  food  added  to  the  spoils  of  the  chase  only  wild  fruits 
and  roots.  The  Iroquois  had  passed  into  the  agricultural  stage.  They  had  settled 
habitations  and  cultivated  fields.  They  had  extensive  orchards  of  the  apple,  made 
sugar  from  the  maple,  and  raised  corn  and  beans  and  squash  and  pumpkins.  The 
surrounding  tribes  had  only  the  rudimentary  political  institution  of  chief  and  followers. 
The  Iroquois  had  a  carefully  devised  constitution  well  adapted  to  secure  confederate 
authority  in  matters  of  common  interest,  and  local  authority  in  matters  of  local 
interest. 

Each  nation  was  divided  into  tribes,  the  Wolf  tribe,  the  Bear  tribe,  the  Turtle 
tribe,  etc.  The  same  tribes  ran  through  all  the  nations,  the  section  in  each  nation 
being  bound  by  ties  of  consanguinity  to  the  sections  of  the  same  tribe  in  the  other 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  209 


nations.  Thus  a  Seneca  Wolf  was  brother  to  every  Mohawk  Wolf,  a  Seneca  Bear 
to  every  Mohawk  Bear.  The  arrangement  was  like  that  of  our  college  societies  with 
chapters  in  different  colleges.  So  there  were  bonds  of  tribal  union  running  across 
the  lines  of  national  union;  and  the  whole  structure  was  firmly  knit  together  as  by 
the  warp  and  woof  of  a  textile  fabric. 

The  government  was  vested  in  a  council  of  fifty  sachems,  a  fixed  number  coming 
from  each  nation.  The  sachems  from  each  nation  came  in  fixed  proportions  from 
specific  tribes  in  that  nation;  the  office  was  hereditary  in  the  tribe;  and  the  member 
of  the  tribe  to  fill  it  was  elected  by  the  tribe. 

The  sachems  of  each  nation  governed  their  own  nation  in  all  local  affairs.  Below 
the  sachems  were  elected  chiefs  on  the  military  side  and  Keepers  of  the  Faith  on 
the  religious  side.  Crime  was  exceedingly  rare;  insubordination  was  unknown; 
courage,  fortitude  and  devotion  to  the  common  good  were  universal. 

The  territory  of  the  Long  House  covered  the  watershed  between  the  Saint  Law- 
rence basin  and  the  Atlantic.  From  it  the  waters  ran  into  the  Saint  Lawrence,  the 
Hudson,  the  Delaware,  the  Susquehanna,  and  the  Ohio.  DowTi  these  lines  of 
communication  the  war  parties  of  the  confederacy  passed,  beating  back  or  over- 
whelming their  enemies  until  they  had  become  overlords  of  a  vast  region  extending 
far  into  New  England,  the  Carolinas,  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  to  the 
coast  of  Lake  Huron. 

They  held  in  subjection  an  area  including  the  present  States  of  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  West  Virginia, 
Northern  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  and  parts  of  New  England,  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Michigan  and  Ontario. 

Of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  New  World  they  were  the  most  terrible  foes  and 
the  most  capable  of  organized  and  sustained  warfare;  and  of  all  the  inhabitants 
north  of  Mexico  they  were  the  most  civilized  and  intelligent. 

The  century  which  followed  the  voyages  of  Columbus  had  been  for  the  Northern 
continent  a  period  of  exploration  and  discovery,  of  search  for  gold  and  for  fabulous 
cities  and  for  a  passage  to  the  Indies,  of  fugitive  fur  trade  with  the  natives,  of 
fisheries  on  the  banks,  and  of  feeble,  disastrous  attempts  at  occupation,  but  not  of 
permanent  settlement.  Ponce  de  Leon  and  De  Soto  and  Verrazano,  Cartier  and 
the  Cabots  and  Drake  and  Frobisher  and  Gilbert  and  Gosnold,  had  brought  the 
Western  coast  of  the  Atlantic  out  from  the  mists  of  fable;  but  they  had  left  no 
trace  upon  its  shores.  Jean  Ribaut  and  his  French  Huguenots  had  attempted  to 
do  for  their  religion  in  Florida  what  the  Pilgrims  did  in  the  following  century  on  the 
coast  of  Massachusetts;  but  their  colony  was  destroyed  with  incredible  cruelty,  in 
the  name  of  religion,  by  the  ferocious  Spaniard,  Menendez,  and  the  colony  of 
Menendez  was  in  turn  destroyed  by  the  Gascon  de  Gourgues,  save  a  feeble  remnant 
15 


210  State  of  New  York 


on  the  site  of  Saint  Augustine.  Raleigh,  with  noble  constancy  and  persistency,  had 
wasted  his  fortune  in  repeated  and  vain  attempts  to  establish  a  colony  in  Virginia. 
On  the  sites  of  the  modern  Quebec  and  Montreal,  at  Tadousac,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Saint  Croix,  and  at  Port  Royal,  Jacques  Cartier  and  Roberval,  Pontgrave  and 
De  Monts,  Poutrincourt  and  Lescarbot,  had  seen  their  heroic  and  devoted  efforts 
to  establish  a  new  France  brought  to  naught  by  cold  and  starvation  and  disease.  In 
that  month  of  July,  I  609,  in  all  the  vast  expanse  between  Florida  and  Labrador 
no  settlement  of  white  men  held  its  place  or  presaged  the  coming  of  the  future  multi- 
tude save  at  Jamestown,  behind  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  where  Christopher  Newport's 
handful  of  colonists  had  barely  survived  two  years  of  privation,  and  at  Quebec, 
where  the  undaunted  Pontgrave  and  Champlain  only  one  year  before  had  again 
gained  a  foothold.  At  Jamestown  the  mournful  record  of  the  winter  of  1  609  to 
1610  shows  us  that  in  the  spring  but  sixty  of  the  colonists  were  living.  At  Quebec 
twenty-eight  Frenchmen  with  Champlain  had  braved  the  rigors  of  a  Canadian 
winter,  and  in  the  spring  of  1610,  but  eight  remained  alive. 

In  this  same  month  of  July,  I  609,  the  Half  Moon  of  Henry  Hudson  was  repair- 
ing damages  in  Penobscot  Bay  after  her  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  and  preparing 
to  sail  on  to  the  noble  river  that  still  bears  her  commander's  name. 

The  field  was  open;  the  hands  upon  the  margin  that  reached  out  to  grasp  control 
seemed  few  and  feeble ;  but  the  period  of  preparation  was  past.  The  mighty  forces 
that  were  to  urge  on  the  most  stupendous  movement  of  mankind  in  human  history 
had  already  received  their  direction.  The  time  was  ripe  for  the  real  conflict  to 
begin,  and  it  had  its  momentous  beginning  when  the  Chief  of  the  Mohawks  fell 
before  the  arquebuse  of  Champlain  at  Ticonderoga. 

The  conditions  which  limited  the  powers  and  directed  the  purposes  of  the  various 
countries  of  Europe  in  the  early  years  of  the  seventeenth  century  made  it  inevitable 
that  the  struggle  for  American  control  should  ultimately  become  a  single  combat 
between  France  and  Great  Britain. 

It  is  true  that  Spain  had  overturned  the  tribal  government  of  the  Aztecs  and  held 
possession  along  the  Northern  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  a  vantage  ground  from 
which  she  might  well  have  pressed  to  the  northward  successful  plans  of  occupation. 
But  Spain  had  no  such  plans.  When  the  search  for  treasure  had  failed,  and  it  was 
plain  that  no  more  Perus  and  Mexicos  were  to  be  found,  the  dark  forests  of  the 
North  Atlantic  offered  no  attractions  to  the  Spanish  Conquistadores,  who  sought  the 
spoils  of  conquest  rather  than  the  rewards  of  labor. 

With  the  death  of  Philip  the  Second  the  decline  of  Spanish  power  had  already 
begun.  His  successors  were  feeble  and  incapable.  The  stern,  repressive,  and 
despotic  control  over  body  and  soul  effected  by  the  union  of  military  and  religious 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  21 


organization  during  the  first  century  of  United  Spain  was  accompanied  by  a  marvelous 
efficiency  and  energy  that  made  Spain  for  a  time  the  foremost  maritime  and  coloniz- 
ing power  of  the  world.  The  price  of  that  efficiency,  however,  was  the  loss  of  the 
only  permanent  source  of  national  energy,  the  independence  and  free  initiative  of 
individual  character  among  her  citizens.  Thenceforth  Spain  was  no  longer  to  sway 
the  rod  of  empire,  but,  holding  it  weakly  in  feeble  hands,  was  to  lose  one  by  one 
the  world-wide  possessions  of  Charles  the  Fifth  and  Philip  the  Second,  until  the 
time  when  the  penalty  of  her  national  sin  against  civil  and  religious  freedom  should 
have  been  paid  and  the  native  strength  and  nobility  of  her  character  should  be  able 
to  reassert  themselves  in  a  period  of  renewed  growth  and  re-established  power  and 
prosperity;  a  time  which  we  hope  and  trust  has  already  come. 

Portugal,  still  clinging  to  the  fruits  of  her  explorers'  genius,  and  sturdy  Holland, 
strong  in  her  newly  won  freedom,  were  looking  not  to  North  America,  but  to  Brazil 
and  to  the  Orient  for  their  opportunities  to  expand;  and  the  future  colony  of  New 
Amsterdam  was  destined  to  be  readily  transferred  to  the  English  for  the  sake  of 
greater  opportunities  to  the  Dutch  East  India  Company. 

Germany  was  not  yet  a  maritime  power.  Loosely  compacted  under  the  failing 
hegemony  of  the  House  of  Austria,  she  was  upon  the  threshold  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War  in  which  the  most  frightful  slaughter  and  devastation  were  to  destroy  her  cities, 
lay  waste  her  fields,  reduce  her  population  from  thirty  millions  to  twelve  millions, 
and  set  back  her  civilization  for  centuries. 

Into  that  vortex  of  destruction  Sweden  also  was  about  to  be  drawn,  and  her  forces 
were  to  be  engrossed  in  the  struggle  for  national  existence,  so  that  the  hopes  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus  for  a  New  Sweden,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  were  to 
fail  of  fruition,  and  the  Swedish  colony  in  America  was  to  pass  with  hardly  a 
struggle  into  the  hands  first  of  the  Dutch  and  then  of  the  English. 

Prussia  was  a  dependent  dukedom.  Russia  had  still  three-quarters  of  a  century 
to  wait  before  Peter  the  Great  was  to  begin  to  lead  her  from  semi-barbarism  into 
the  ranks  of  civilized  powers.  Italy  was  a  geographical  expression  covering  a 
multitude  of  petty  states. 

Of  all  the  peoples  of  Europe,  only  the  French  and  the  English  possessed  the 
power,  the  energy,  the  adventurous  courage,  the  opportunity  and  the  occasion,  for 
expansion  across  the  Atlantic.  The  field  and  the  prize  were  for  them,  and  for 
them  alone. 

Upon  the  throne  of  France  was  Henry  the  Fourth,  the  greatest  of  French  kings. 
In  the  governing  class  of  Frenchmen,  political  and  religious,  were  the  virile  strength, 
the  intellectual  acumen,  the  romantic  chivalry,  the  strong  passions,  the  love  of  glory, 
the  capacity  for  devotion  to  ideals ;  which  were  to  make  possible  the  rule  of  Richelieu, 


212  State  of  New  York 


the  ascendency  of  Louis  the  Fourteenth,  the  political  idealists  of  the  Eighteenth 
century,  the  tremendous  social  forces  whose  outbreak  in  the  French  Revolution 
appalled  the  world,  and  the  armies  of  Napoleon. 

In  England  the  reign  of  great  Elizabeth  had  just  closed.  It  was  the  England 
of  Spenser  and  Shakespeare  and  Bacon;  of  Cecil  and  Raleigh;  of  Drake  and 
Frobisher.  John  Hampden  and  Cromwell  and  Milton  were  in  their  childhood. 
For  four  centuries  since  Magna  Charta  Englishmen  had  become  accustomed  to  the 
assertion  of  individual  rights  of  the  citizen  against  arbitrary  power.  Since  the 
repudiation  of  Roman  supremacy  over  the  national  church,  by  Henry  the  Eighth, 
three  generations  had  become  wonted  to  the  assertion  of  religious  freedom.  King 
James's  translation  of  the  Bible  was  in  progress  and  nearly  completed.  The  deep 
religious  feeling  of  the  Puritan  reaction  against  both  Roman  and  Royal  Episcopacy 
that  was  to  cost  Charles  the  First  his  life  and  James  the  Second  his  throne,  had 
already  become  a  controlling  motive  among  a  great  multitude  of  the  English  people. 

From  these  two  countries,  each  possessed  of  great  powers,  each  endowed  with 
noble  qualities,  proceeded  the  colonists  who  were  to  dispute  for  the  possession  of 
America.  The  French  movement  was  in  the  main  governmental,  aristocratic,  proceed- 
ing from  state  and  church,  designed  to  extend  and  increase  the  power,  dominion,  and 
glory  of  the  King,  to  convert  the  Indians  to  the  true  faith,  and  to  extend  over  them 
and  over  all  the  lands  through  which  they  roamed,  and  over  all  who  should  come 
after  them  and  take  their  place,  the  same  iron  rule  of  conformity  against  which  the 
Huguenots  of  France  were  vainly  contending.  The  English  movement  was  in  the 
main  popular,  proceeding  from  the  people  of  England  who  wished  to  escape  either 
church  or  state  at  home  and  to  find  freedom  in  a  new  world  for  the  practice  of  their 
religion  or  the  pursuit  of  their  fortunes  according  to  their  own  ideas.  Some  of  the 
English  colonies  braved  the  hardships  of  exile  rather  than  conform  against  their 
consciences  to  requirements  of  practice  and  doctrine  which  the  English  church 
imposed.  Some  sought  for  fortune  in  the  New  World  because  the  State  had  so 
distributed  the  property  and  so  closed  the  avenues  for  advancement  in  England  that 
they  must  needs  seek  opportunities  elsewhere  if  at  all. 

For  centuries  the  struggle  between  civil  and  religious  absolutism  on  the  one  hand 
and  individual  liberty  on  the  other  were  waged  alike  in  France  and  in  England. 
The  attempt  to  colonize  America  came  from  one  side  of  the  controversy  in  France 
and  from  the  other  side  of  the  same  controversy  in  England.  The  virtues  of  the 
two  systems  were  to  be  tried  out  and  the  irrepressible  conflict  between  them  was  to 
be  continued  in  the  wilderness. 

For  capable  and  efficient  leadership,  for  far-sighted  and  comprehensive  plans,  for 
clear  understanding  of  existing  conditions  and  prevision  as  to  the  future,  for  con- 
spicuous examples  of  heroic  achievement  and  self-devotion,  the  palm  must  be  awarded' 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  213 


to  the  French  over  their  English  competitors.  There  are  few  chapters  in  history 
so  full  of  romantic  interest,  so  compelling  in  their  demands  for  sympathy  and 
admiration,  as  the  record  of  the  century  and  a  half  that  began  with  the  wooden 
fortress  of  Champlain  under  the  bluff  at  Quebec  and  ended  with  the  fall  of  Mont- 
calm on  the  Heights  of  Abraham. 

The  world  owes  many  debts  to  France.  Not  the  least  of  these  is  the  inspiration 
the  men  of  every  race  can  find  in  the  noble  examples  of  such  explorers  as  Nicollet 
and  Joliet  and  La  Salle;  such  leaders  as  Champlain  and  Frontenac  and  Duquesne 
and  Montcalm;  and  such  missionaries  as  Le  Caron  and  Breboeuf  and  Marquette. 
They  strove  for  the  execution  of  a  great  design,  holding  hardship  and  suffering  and 
life  of  little  account^  in  their  loyalty  to  their  religion  and  their  King.  With  infinite 
pains  they  won  the  friendship  of  the  Indians  of  the  Saint  Lawrence  and  the  far 
Northwest;  they  carried  the  flag  of  France  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi;  they 
drew  a  cordon  of  military  posts  up  the  Saint  Lawrence,  across  to  the  Mississippi, 
and  down  to  the  Gulf,  well  designed  to  bar  the  westward  advance  of  the  English 
colonies,  to  save  the  great  West  for  their  race,  and  thence  to  press  the  English  back- 
ward to  the  sea.  Their  soldiers  were,  as  a  rule,  better  led,  better  organized,  and 
moved  on  more  definite  and  certain  plans  than  the  English.  Occasionally  some  born 
fighter  on  the  English  side  would  accomplish  a  great  deed,  like  Pepperrell  at  Louis- 
burg,  or  some  man  of  supreme  good  sense  would  bring  order  out  of  confusion,  as 
did  Franklin  and  Washington;  but  as  a  rule  Colonial  legislatures  were  slow  and 
vacillating ;  Colonial  governors  were  indifferent  and  short-sighted ;  and  Colonial  move- 
ments were  marked  by  a  lack  of  that  definite  responsibility,  coupled  with  power,  so 
essential  to  successful  warfare. 

Fortunately  for  England  between  the  two  parties  all  along  the  controlling  strategic 
line  from  this  Lake  Champlain  to  the  gateway  of  the  West  at  Fort  Duquesne, 
stretched  the  barrier  of  the  Long  House  and  its  tributary  nations.  They  were  always 
ready,  always  organized,  always  watchful.  They  continually  threatened  and 
frequently  broke  the  great  French  military  line  of  communication.  Along  the  whole 
line  they  kept  the  French  continually  in  jeopardy.  Before  the  barrier  the  French 
built  forts  and  trained  soldiers  —  behind  it  the  English  cleared  the  forests  and  built 
homes  and  cultivated  fields  and  grew  to  a  great  multitude,  strong  in  individual 
freedom  and  in  the  practice  of  self-government.  Again  and  again  the  French  hurled 
their  forces  against  the  Long  House,  but  always  with  little  practical  advantage.  At 
one  time  De  Tracy,  the  Viceroy,  burned  villages  and  laid  waste  the  land  of  the 
Iroquois  with  twelve  hundred  French  soldiers.  At  another.  La  Barre,  the 
Governor,  with  eighteen  hundred;  at  another,  Denonville,  with  two  thousand; 
at  another,  Frontenac  with  six  hundred ;  at  still  another,  Frontenac  with  a  thousand. 


214  State  of  New  York 

Always  there  came  also  a  cloud  of  Algonquin  allies.  Always  the  Iroquois  retired 
and  then  returned,  rebuilt  their  villages,  replanted  their  fields,  resumed  their  operations, 
and  in  their  turn  took  ample  revenge  for  their  injuries. 

So,  to  and  fro  the  war  parties  went,  harrying  and  burning  and  killing,  but  always 
the  barrier  stood,  and  always  with  its  aid  the  English  colonies  labored  and  fought 
and  grew  strong.  When  the  final  struggle  came  between  the  armies  of  France  and 
England,  the  French  had  the  genius  of  Montcalm  and  soldiers  as  brave  as  ever 
drew  sword;  but  behind  Wolfe  and  his  stout  English  hearts  was  a  new  people,  rich 
in  supplies,  trained  in  warfare,  and  ready  to  fight  for  their  homes.  South  Carolina, 
the  records  show,  furnished  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  men  for  the  war;  Virginia, 
two  thousand;  Pennsylvania,  two  thousand  seven  hundred;  New  Jersey,  one  thou- 
sand; New  York,  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty;  New  Hampshire  and 
Rhode  Island,  one  thousand;  Connecticut,  five  thousand;  Massachusetts,  seven  thou- 
sand. It  was  not  merely  the  army  —  it  was  that  a  nation  had  arrived,  too  great 
in  numbers,  in  extent  of  territory,  in  strength  of  independent,  individual  character,  to 
be  overwhelmed  by  any  power  that  France  could  possibly  produce.  The  conclusion 
was  foregone.  A  battle  lost  or  won  at  Quebec  or  elsewhere  could  but  hasten  or 
retard  the  result  a  little.     The  result  was  sure  to  come  as  it  did  come. 

In  all  this  interesting  and  romantic  story  may  be  seen  two  great  proximate  causes 
of  the  French  failure  and  the  English  success;  two  reasons  why  from  Quebec  to 
the  Pacific  we  speak  English,  follow  the  course  of  the  common  law,  and  estimate 
and  maintain  our  rights  according  to  the  principles  of  English  freedom. 

One  of  these  was  the  great  inferiority  of  the  Indian  allies  of  the  French,  and  the 
great  superiority  of  the  Indian  allies  of  the  English;  the  effective  and  enduring 
organization,  the  war-hke  power  of  the  Iroquois  and  their  fidelity  to  the  "  covenant 
chain  "  which  bound  them  to  our  fathers.  The  other  cause  lies  deeper:  It  is  that 
peoples,  not  monarchs,  settlers,  not  soldiers,  build  empires :  that  the  spirit  of  absolutism 
in  a  royal  court  is  a  less  vital  principle  than  the  spirit  of  liberty  in  a  nation. 

In  these  memorial  days  let  there  be  honor  to  Champlain  and  the  chivalry  of 
France:  honor  to  the  strong  free  hearts  of  the  common  people  of  England;  and  honor 
also  to  the  savage  virtues,  the  courage  and  loyal  friendship  of  the  Long  House  of 
the  Iroquois.      (Applause.) 

Chairman  Knapp  —  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  will  now  listen  to  an 
original  poem  entitled  "  Champlain  and  Lake  Champlain,"  by  Daniel  L. 
Cady,  of  New  York  City. 

Dr.  Cady  read  as  follows: 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  215 


CHAMPLAIN  AND  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 

A   POEM 

By  Daniel  L.  Cady,  L.  H.  D. 

We  meet  to  raise  the  lofty  strain 

Of  lands  beyond  the  Western  main; 

Of  Henry's  men  and  Richelieu's  ships. 

Of  mounting  hearts  and  trembling  lips; 

Of  brave  De  Monts  and  bold  De  Chastes, 

Of  hardships  strange  and  hazards  vast; 

Of  Pont  Grave  and  Poutrincourt, 

Of  flaunting  flags  and  graves  obscure; 

Of  dunes  as  drear  as  drear  d'Olonne, 

Of  streams  as  fair  as  fair  Garonne; 

Of  Winter's  blasts  and  Spring's  perfume, 

Of  Honfleur's  hopes  and  Dochet's  doom  -^ 

Of  man's  new-found  inheritance. 

The  wondrous  land  of  Nouvelle  France. 

We  meet  the  lofty  strain  to  raise. 

Of  those  who  passed,  deprived  of  praise; 

Of  Levis,  Bourlamaque,  Raymond, 

Of  pious  Jogues  and  De  Casson; 

Of  labors  ne'er  before  endured. 

Of  beckoning  seas  and  lands  that  lured; 

Of  hoped-for  harvests  never  gleaned. 

Of  friend  turned  foe,  and  foe  turned  fiend; 

Of  one  whose  justice  made  him  brave  — 

The  knight  whose  stainless  plumes  still  wave; 

The  White  man  who  first  saw  this  spot, 

I  name  him,  and  I  name  him  not  — 

He  whom  no  painter  limned,  but  yet 

Whose  picture  in  all  hearts  is  set 

Four  times  King  Henry's  ships  have  sailed  away. 
From  France  toward  Canseau's  coast  and  Sable  Bay; 
As  often,  homeward,  have  his  captains  brave 
Returned  from  Tadoussac  and  high  La  Heve. 


216  State  of  New  York 


Each  captain's  tale  enlists  an  eager  court. 
Each  sailor's  story  stirs  his  native  port; 
List,  as  the  sailor  tells,  with  solemn  sigh. 
Of  Fundy's  tides  that  roll  a  mast-head  high ; 
With   furious  words  he  tells  of  men  whose  skin 
Is  red  and  bloody  as  their  hearts  within; 
Strange  signs,  vast  wonders,  fill  the  new  domain. 
Did   not   a   fish's  tooth  heal  his  migraine! 
Did  not  a  native  princess  yield  her  kiss ! 
Did  he  not  hear  the  Gougou's  hideous  hiss! 
Did   he   not   hunt  the  scaled  chaousarou. 
And  eat  of  gooseberries,  red  and  green  and  blue! 
Did  he  not  sight  the  Magpie  Islands,  where 
The  souls  of  women  fill  the  chattering  air ! 

Each  captain's  carriage  is  erect  and  high, 

As  one  on  whom  his  monarch  may  rely; 

No  kingdom  have  we  found,"  they  haste  to  say  — ' 

No  kingdom,  but  a  world,  that  waits  the  day  — 

A  new-found  world  that  waits  the  Lily's  sway." 

There,   Eastward,  rolls  a  vast  and  lordly  stream. 

There  lakes  and  seas  in  tangled  net-work  gleam; 

There  native  flowers  attract  the  stranger's  feet. 

There  vines  take  root,  and  pheasant's  flesh  is  sweet; 

There  stand  the  trees  of  France,  erect  and  tail. 

There  falcons  wheel,  and  pigeons  coo  and  call ; 

There  mines  of  copper  gem  the  ocean's  side. 

And  drip  their  useless  wealth  into  the  tide; 

Great  harbors,  leagues  in  length,  and  roadsteads  wide. 

Invite  the  commerce  of  two  worlds  to  ride; 

Each   frowning  headland  hides  a  sheltering  bay. 

Each  rising  port  shall  be  Port  Fortune. 

What   deeds  shall  there  be  done  of  high  emprise, 

WTiat  fleets  sail  thence,  what  argent  cities  rise! 

The  seat  where  Venice  sits  the  seas  amid 

Was  once  a  marsh  where  hunted  sailors  hid ; 

Marseilles  arose  above  a  reedy  fen. 

And  Genoa's  site  was  bare  of  soil  or  men. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  217 


AH  France  awakes;  the  men  of  Normandie 

Another  Conquering  William's  banners  see; 

Behold   new  lights  and  (ires  in  Breton  eyes. 

Behold   St.  Malo's  sinking  fortunes  rise! 

New  keels  are  laid,  new  gonfalons  designed. 

New  charters  granted,  new  commissions  signed. 

Amidst  this  general  joy,  o'er  leagues  of  foam. 

King  Henry's  ships  and  captains  journey  home; 

With  them  the  king's  young  friend,  Champlain,  returns  — 

The  Brouage  sailor  —  Brouage  rings  and  burns  — 

There  sounds  throughout  all  Saintonge,  near  and  far. 

Long  live  the  king!      Long  live  the  Xaintongeois ! 

But  short  his  stay ;  great  lords  and  gentlemen 

Equip  new  ships,  and  soon  he  sails  again ; 

Again  he  sights  St.  Pierre,  again  surveys 

Assomption's  length  of  trivial  capes  and  bays; 

Thence  holds  his  course  direct  toward  Tadoussac, 

Thence  Southward,  past  Cap  Tourmente,  bold  and  black. 

To   high  Quebec;  thence  past  low-lying  lands 

To  Hochelaga,  where  now  proudly  stands 

A  mighty  city;  thence  by  shallop  frail 

Toward  this  sweet  sea  and  this  productive  vale  — 

This  land  wherein  the  tameless  Iroquois 

And  tall  Algonquins  wage  perpetual  war. 

So  goes  the  voyager  to  and  fro 

Between  New  France  and  France, 
Whilst  thirty  times  the  vineyards  blow. 

And  thirty  frosts  advance  — 
Indifferent  to  Winter's  wrath. 

Careless  of  circumstance. 

The  navigator  who  ne'er  raised 

The  signal  of  distress; 
Who  on  the  Northern  ice-pack  gazed. 

Who  knew  the  South's  caress  — 
Whose  genius  dreamed  and  sailed  new  seas 

With  splendid  steadfastness. 


218  State  of  New  York 


The  patient  colonizer,  wise 

To  sun,  soil,  roof,  and  rain; 

Who  saw,  as  with  anointed  eyes. 
The  centuries  in  his  train  — 

Who  sowed  the  seeds  of  states  to  be 
As  sower  sows  the  grain. 

The  author,  who  with  tireless  hand. 
Set  down  the  things  he  saw; 

The  first  historian  of  the  land. 

He  gave  the  earliest  law  — 

The  law  that  banned  the  poisoned  shaft. 
And  clipped  the  rending  claw. 

The  faithful  viceroy  of  his  king. 

In  regions  far  remote. 
And  yet  no  censuring  council's  sting 

Impaled  the  words  he  wrote  — 
The  viceroy  whose  sagacious  lips 

No  prince  nor  princeling  smote. 

The  explorer  favored  of  the  fates  — 
The  White  man  who  first  stood 

Upon  the  soil  of  these  fair  states 
That  dwell  in  sisterhood ; 

The  first  to  sail  this  limpid  sea. 
And  hail  Ontario's  flood. 

The  missionary  of  that  Love 

That  counts  the  rescued  soul 

Of  one  poor  savage  far  above 

The  world's  deceitful  goal  — 

Who  set  the  writhing  captive  free. 
And  filled  the  beggar's  bowl. 

The  man  who,  in  a  tinsel  age. 

Cared  naught  for  shields  or  bars. 

Or  state  or  showy  equipage. 

Whose  name  no  scandal  scars  -^ 

Whose  memory,  like  a  lofty  shaft. 
Stands  level  with  the  stars. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  219 


We  see  him  on  that  Summer  morn. 

There  where  the  Richeheu's  breast  is  torn 

By  ragged  rocks;  the  wounded  tide 

Delays  him  not  —  he  may  not  bide ; 

There  he  his  "  ships  "  so  grim  and  fierce, 

Whose  sides  an  arrow's  point  would  pierce; 

His  "  stores  "  some  skins  of  pounded  maize. 

His  "  course  "  the  choice  of  unknown  ways; 

His  "  admirals  "  decked  in  feathers  gay. 

His  "  captains  "  smeared  with  paint  and  clay; 

His  "  armament  "  three  muskets  rude, 

His  "  sailors  "  wolves  of  human  brood; 

Of  all  his  Frenchmen,  only  two 

Are  present  at  this  wild  review; 

Two  only  reckon  not  the  cost. 

And  they  —  their  faithful  names  are  lost. 

We  see  him  as  he  numbers  o'er 

His  mighty  fleet  —  two  score  and  four 

Of  bark  canoes ;  he  lifts  his  eyes 

One  questioning  moment  to  the  skies; 

His  bravest  hope,  his  dearest  thought. 

His  zealots  comprehended  not; 

The  sixty  wolf-men  that  he  led 

He  knew  loved  carnage  more  than  bread; 

He  knew  their  hearts  were  filled  with  hate. 

And  cruelties  insatiate; 

He  lifts  his  hand,  the  rude  oars  fall  — 

The  Northland  passes  to  the  Gaul. 

And  now,  although  no  crowned  king  approves. 
The  strange  and  unproclaimed  armada  moves; 
Southward  it  lakes  its  silent,  warlike  way. 
Nor  bourse,  nor  lords  of  trade,  say  yea  or  nay. 
Like  some  dark  dragon,  seen  in  fevered  dream 
Of  Sikh  or  Bengalee,  it  breasts  the  stream; 
The  trees  along  the  Richelieu  closer  stand. 
And,  trembling,  hold  each  other  by  the  hand; 
The  vines  draw  closer  to  the  oaks  and  firs. 
The  shores  are  bare  of  Summer's  choristers; 


220  State  of  New  York 


Two  hundred  years  and  more  of  bloody  strife 
This  bold  excursion  quickens  into  hfe; 
The  vexed  and  shuddering  river  seems  to  feel 
The  coming  of  the  prow  and  mast  of  steel. 
When  peace  at  last  shall  reign,  the  sunlight  shine 
On  forts  dismantled  and  on  camps  benign. 

One  night  he  halts,  that  by  the  light  of  day 
His  eyes  may  first  the  virgin  lake  survey; 
Ere  long  the  shores  recede,  new  sights  appear. 
He  feels  a  rare  and  radiant  presence  near; 
His  queen,  his  queen  of  waters,  unto  him 
Affianced  in  creation's  morning  dim. 
The  spell  comes  o'er  him  lovers  languish  for. 
And  for  a  day  he  thinks  no  more  of  war; 
These  lines  of  foam  that  catch  amidst  the  sedge. 
Are  they  not  laces  at  her  garment's  edge? 
These  beauteous  isles,  as  green  as  they  are  fair. 
Are  they  not  emeralds  set  to  deck  her  hair? 
These  summered  breezes,  are  they  not  her  sigh? 
These  tall,  dark  pines  the  lashes  at  her  eye? 
These  shimmering  ripples,  are  they  not  her  smile. 
To  draw  him  on  and  on  with  witching  wile? 
Enrapt  he  stands,  his  eye  his  heart  betrays, 
Her  bosom  swells  responsive  to  his  gaze; 
Again  he  looks,  he  smiles,  he  cries  "  Je  i'aime," 
She  sighs,  she  yields,  and  takes  her  lover's  name. 

From  passion's  fine  imaginings 

He  turns  again  to  sterner  things; 

One  further  day  he  halts,  and  then 

Goes  Southward  with  his  painted  men; 

Soon,  from  the  East,  the  sandy  arm 

Of  Windmill  Point  holds  out  its  palm; 

Still  further  East,  before  his  eyes, 

Le  Lion  Couchant  props  the  skies ; 

Next,  in  the  West,  long  slate  cliffs  stare. 

The  ore  beds  false  of  Pointe  au  Per; 

Then  Southward,  Isle  La  Motte  appears  — 

Renowned  thenceforth  through  all  the  years  — 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  221 


La  Motte,  whose  crown  of  pines  was  old 

When  Capet  wore  his  crown  of  gold; 

La  Motte,  whose  quarried  blocks  shall  stand 

In  massive  towers  as  high  and  grand. 

Supporting  firm,  for  later  man, 

Victoria's  tube  and  Brooklyn's  span: 

There,  on  the  undefended  sands. 

The  unannounced  flotilla  lands. 

And  whilst  his  warriors  feast  and  rest. 

He  dreams  the  Empire  of  the  West. 

As  Europe,  from  an  age-long  trance. 

Was  waked  by  thrust  of  Moorish  lance. 

So  did  this  war-bound  party  wake 

These  sleeping  lands  and  oarless  lake; 

As  from  the  waves  yon  peaks  first  rose 

In  nature's  primal  throbs  and  throes. 

So,  at  his  coming,  land  and  sea 

Emerged  from  darkest  savagery. 

If  Tyre  a  conquering  flag  unfurled. 

And  Delos  ruled  the  ancient  world. 

What  of  these  islands  of  the  North, 

From  which,  full-armed,  two  states  sprang  forth  1 

We  see  him,  as  with  thoughtful  mien. 

He  leaves  La  Motte's  unsullied  scene; 

Continuing  the  Southward  course. 

He  leads  his  punitory  force; 

Past  other  isles  he  journeys  on. 

He  doubles  frowning  Scononton; 

And  near  that  river's  outlet  goes 

St.  Amant,*  that  for  sweethearts  flows; 

Past  Valcour's  cedar  trees,  that  throw 

Deep  shadows  on  the  waves  below; 

On,  toward  the  dark  heights  in  the  South, 

Past  the  Au  Sable's  double  mouth. 

Past  Colchester's  three-pointed  spear. 

Past  Schuyler,  fashioned  like  a  tear; 


*  The  French  called  the  Saranac,  Riviere  dc  St.  Amant. 


222  State  of  New  York 


And  now  the  open  lake  they  hail  — 

He  looks  —  a  sea  without  a  sail ! 

Far-reaching  shores  with  balanced  bays. 

Far-stretching  waters  meet  his  gaze; 

With  fear  his  savages  descry 

A  rock  that  from  the  waves  stands  high  — 

Dark  Rejiohne,  gloomy,  lone, 

Man's  first  and  firmest  boundary  stone; 

Older  than  Holy  Simeon's  style. 

Or  Trajan's  shaft  or  Cheops'  pile; 

Southward  of  which  no  Huron  goes. 

Nor  Mohawk  North,  but  life-blood  flows; 

Upon  his  left  tall  peaks  rise  white. 

And  loftier  peaks  upon  his  right; 

Those  heights,  his  savages  explain. 

Hide  fertile  stretches  rich  in  grain; 

There  open  valleys  filled  wnth  fruit. 

The  faithless  Iroquois  pollute; 

There  dwell  their  foes  —  the  lake  goes  near  ■ 

Three  days,  and  they  shall  die  of  fear! 

We  see  him  pass  the  Brothers  Four, 
The  Boquet's  mouth  and  Shelburne's  shore; 
On  past  Split  Rock,  by  nature  named. 
And  down  the  years  at  Utrecht  famed; 
On  past  the  less  and  larger  creek. 
Whose  burrowed  banks  the  otters  seek; 
On  toward  the  charming  North  West  bay. 
He  takes  "  the  tourist's  favorite  way ;  " 
On  Southward  toward  that  narrow  shore. 
Where  now  Port  Henry's  forges  roar; 
Where  Vulcan  finds  his  art  assigned 
To  masters  skilled  as  they  are  kind. 

But  now  they  shun  the  telltale  light. 
They  rest  by  day,  advance  by  night; 
No  camp  fire  makes  their  presence  known; 
When  morning  dawns  their  barks  are  gone; 
Noiseless  as  falls  November's  snow 
They  move  upon  their  ancient  foe. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  223 


We  see  him  as  his  liltle  band 

Draws  near  a  cape  or  point  of  land. 

That  from  the  Western  shore  hne  trends. 

And  far  into  the  lake  extends; 

Here,  as  they  sailed  with  faces  set. 

The  bloody  Iroquois  they  met; 

Then  rose  the  wildest  shouts  and  screams 

That  ever  filled  a  captive's  dreams. 

As  all  the  tortured  sons  of  men 

Were  put  to  torture  once  again. 

The  threat  of  battle  in  the  morn 
Was  hurled  and  met  with  equal  scorn; 
The  Pilotois  his  curses  rained 
In  palsied  speech  for  once  unfeigned; 
The  Ostemoy,  beyond  control. 
Poured  out  his  demon-flooded  soul, 
And  insults  vipers  might  not  slight 
Were  lost  in  insults  infinite. 

At  morning's  first  and  fairest  hour. 

We  see  him  land  his  little  power; 

The  barks  are  drawn  upon  the  sand. 

And  weapons  passed  from  hand  to  hand; 

Within  the  wood,  obscured  from  view. 

His  Frenchmen  go  —  the  nameless  two  — 

Before  him,  in  the  matin  glow. 

Encamps  the  barricaded  foe  — 

Two  hundred  Iroquois,  who  bear 

Stout  bows,  and  hempen  breastplates  wear; 

Whose  war-code  red  their  Sachems  frame. 

With  rites  and  orgies  none  may  name. 

Midst  fasting,  feasting  and  carouse. 

In  far  Oneida's  council  house. 

The  opposing  warriors  now  display 
Their  men  in  battle  disarray; 
Mohawk  and  Montagnais  prepare 
To  wreak  the  hate  their  bosoms  bear; 


224  State  of  New  York 


Around  about  their  camps  they  go. 
They  wag  their  heads  and  cry  "  Ho!  Ho! 
The  mumbhng  soothsayers  curse  and  wail, 
The  witch-led  warriors  boast  and  rail; 
They   beat  the  earth,  they  beat  the  air. 
They  threaten,  dance,  grimace,  and  glare; 
But  phalanx  firm  or  ordered  line. 
Inspiring  banner,  battle  sign. 
Impinging  shields  or  marshaled  power. 
Are  wanting  in  that  fateful  hour. 

We  see  him  as  he  takes  his  stand 

To  lead  the  small  Algonquin  band; 

There  must  the  invading  force  prevail. 

Or  none  remain  to  tell  the  tale; 

One  moment's  space  he  hesitates. 

But  in  the  moment's  space  he  waits. 

His   childhood's  happy  home  he  sees. 

His   father  seated  '  neath  the  trees; 

He  hears  the  bells  when  day  is  done. 

He  sees  his  mother  bless  her  son. 

From  out  their  rude  stockade  the  while. 

The  haughty  Iroquois  defile; 

Before  them  three  tall  chiefs  advance 

To  meet  the  single  arm  of  France ; 

Onward  they  come  in  savage  pride. 

With  armored  fronts,  and  plumes  blown  wide. 

And  fearful  mien  and  lordly  stride. 

And  hate-filled  eyes; 
Three  bows  are  raised  in  deadly  aim. 
Three  voices  curse  the  Huron  name  — 
When,  lo!  a  blast  of  sound  and  flame 

That  rends  the  skies! 
Two  chiefs  lie  dead  upon  the  ground  — 
Another  blast  of  flame  and  sound  — 
The  third  chief  has  his  mortal  wound 

And  cannot  rise; 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  225 


Again  the  arquebuses  ring. 

The  lead  balls  sing,  the  arrows  sting. 

The  furious  victors  forward  spring 

With  piercing  cries; 
The  Iroquois  his  fate  discerns. 
Too  late  the  White  man's  art  he  learns. 
The  Indian  of  Indians  turns  — 

He  turns,  he  flies! 
Before  the  morning  hours  were  done. 
The  field  of  Lake  Champlain  was  won. 
The  homeward  march  and  voyage  begun. 

The  strife  is  o'er,  the  dying  and  the  slain 

Alone  upon  the  trampled  shore  remain; 

Henceforth  that  bloody  marge  of  lake  so  clear 

Shall  be  the  Place  of  Scalps  for  many  a  year; 

Such  was  the  sowing,  such  the  seed  and  root. 

Of  which  the  present  is  the  flower  and  fruit; 

Such  conflict  sharp  and  fierce  prepared  the  way 

For  men  who  raise  the  arch,  and  men  who  pray; 

A  barren  era  of  barbarian  power 

Was  ending  in  that  dark  and  iron  hour; 

New  worlds  indeed  were  opening  for  mankind. 

Not  lands  and  seas  alone,  but  worlds  of  mind; 

Then  Science  beamed  on  men  with  her  bright  eyes. 

Then  History  ceased  to  be  "  conceded  lies;  " 

Then  Commerce  turned  her  gaze  to  every  land. 

And  stretched  to  every  zone  her  jeweled  hand. 

In  that  same  year  an  old  man,  with  his  glass. 

Explored  the  paths  where  Night's  bright  chariots  pass; 

Beheld  new  suns  and  systems  wheel  and  shine. 

And  warmed  men's  hearts  with  knowledge,  as  with  wine; 

Champlain  and  Galileo  —  two  who  bore 

The  torch  of  light  where  all  was  dark  before. 

But  ere  we  leave  that  earlier,  ruder  race. 
'Tis  meet  some  fragments  of  their  lore  to  trace; 
By  other,  gentler  names  than  now  they  bear. 
They  knew  these  scenes  that  have  to-day  our  care; 
16 


226  State  of  New  York 


Lone  Whiteface,  ever  old  and  ever  young. 

Was  Wahopartenie  in  the  Red  man's  tongue; 

And  Marcy,  that  uprears  his  head  so  high, 

Tahawas  stood,  the  Wedge  that  Splits  the  Sky; 

Whilst  Mansfield,  Moose  of  Mountains,  'midst  the  snows. 

As  Moseodebewadso  proudly  rose; 

The  Saranac  as  Sumac  River  glowed, 

As  Wonakakatuk  the  Otter  flowed; 

Split  Rock  Sobapsqua  was,  the  Cloven  Way; 

Quinask,  the  arm  that  shielded  Shelburne  Bay; 

The  fortressed  shore  by  Allen's  bravery  famed. 

Carillon,  Chime  of  Bells,  the  good  priests  named. 

But  softer  yet  from  native  lips  it  fell  — 

Cheonderoga  —  Place  Where  Echoes  Dwell. 

'Twas  there  beneath  the  narrowing  waves. 
About  the  bottom's  sunless  caves. 
There  dwelt,  as  savage  legend  ran, 
A  race  invisible  to  man; 
A  mighty  race  of  stonesmiths  they. 
The  Tubal  Cains  of  slate  and  clay; 
They  filled  with  fire  the  friendly  flints. 
And  coined  the  wampum  in  their  mints ; 
All  spear  points,  clubs,  and  arrow-heads. 
All  knives  whose  name  the  White  still  dreads; 
All  peltry  tools  and  scraping  stones  — 
Wherewith  to  scrape  the  roebuck's  bones  — 
All  barbs  the  carp  and  gar-pike  gorged. 
Their  subaquatic  smithies  forged. 

But  all  their  handiwork  they  kept 
Within  their  lockers  strong,  and  slept. 
Nor  wakened  from  their  sleep  of  greed. 
Till  bribed  by  gifts  of  that  sweet  weed 
Whose  incense,  when  by  fire  released. 
Sustains  the  fast  and  crowns  the  feast  ^ 
The  fragrant  weed  no  code  may  ban. 
Beloved  of  man  and  superman. 
But  when  tobacco  leaves  were  cast 
Upon  the  waves,  their  anger  passed ; 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  227 


They  caused  the  winds  at  once  to  rise. 
And  sent  the  storm  clouds  through  the  skies; 
And  when  the  tempest  fiercest  blew. 
Their  craftwork  on  the  shores  they  threw: 
No  bark  went  Northward  at  the  dawn. 
Or  neared  at  night  the  Horicon, 
That  gave  not  gifts  to  win  the  grace 
And  favor  of  the  watery  race. 

Historic  Lake!  whate'er  the  deeds 

Of  fabled  men  or  savage  breeds. 

Enacted  in  the  centuries  dim. 

Beneath  thy  waves  or  at  thy  rim  — 

More  valiant  deeds  have  heroes  wrought 

Upon  thy  breast,  and  scarred  it  not. 

A  highway  and  a  battlefield, 

Here  sloops  and  frigates  marched  and  wheeled; 

The  strife  of  distant  kings  and  courts 

Was  here  expressed  in  fleets  and  forts; 

And  true  to  life,  the  royal  sneer 

Became  a  royal  broadside  here. 

As  Valcour,  like  a  needle  true. 

Set  in  the  waves  when  earth  was  new. 

Points  to  the  North,  and  never  veers 

Whatever  force  or  flag  appears  — 

So  did  the  action  'neath  her  lee 

Point  to  the  pole  of  gallantry; 

The  lofty  courage  there  displayed. 

Won  Europe's  praise  and  Lafayette's  aid; 

And  still  the  patriot's  hope  revives, 

Whate'er  his  race,  where'er  he  strives; 

There  Arnold's  line  of  slender  length 

Withstood  a  fleet  of  double  strength; 

And  all  he  wrought  and  overcame. 

Permits  us  still  to  speak  his  name. 


228  State  of  New  York 


On  yonder  bay,  to-day  unstained. 

The  young  and  brave  Macdonough  gained 

A  wreath  as  green,  a  fame  as  bright. 

As  he  who  won  the  Nile's  proud  fight; 

Twice  on  his  flagship's  deck  that  day. 

He  senseless  fell  and  prostrate  lay ; 

And  twice  he  rose,  with  bloody  lips. 

And  called  on  Heaven  and  cheered  his  ships; 

Of  happy  name  and  omen  they  — 

The  Preble  hastened  to  the  fray, 

The  dark  Ticonderoga  roared 

Her  broadsides  out,  the  Eagle  soared; 

The  Saratoga,  wounded  oft. 

Still  kept  the  flag  we  love  aloft; 

And  when  the  two  hours'  strife  was  o'er. 

Her  silenced  prizes  numbered  four. 

Few  victories  teach  and  shine  like  this! 

Plattsburgh,  the  second  Salamis! 

Historic  Vale!  thy  charms  comprise 
Far  more  than  meets  the  traveler's  eyes; 
The  memory  of  thy  heroes'  deeds 
Is  like  a  dream  to  him  who  reads; 
Romance  in  every  scene  inheres. 
And  patriot  valor  moves  to  tears. 
Here  oft  the  captive  sighed  his  last, 
Here  twice  the  avenging  Schuylers  passed, 
Resolved  to  swiftly  vindicate 
Schenectady's  appalling  fate. 
These  shores  are  still  the  homes  of  those 
Whose  fathers  fought  with  ruthless  foes; 
These  shores  a  home  to  sons  supply. 
Whose  lives  are  plain,  whose  thinking  high; 
Religion's  shrines  and  learning's  halls. 
Here  stand  like  watchmen  on  their  walls. 

Here  on  the  Boquet's  banks  was  spread 
That  banquet  to  the  surfeited; 
That  war  feast,  artfully  designed 
To  further  fire  the  savage  mind: 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  229 


Four  hundred  Mohawks,  there  arrayed 
In  fearful  war  dress,  pledged  their  aid 
To  devastate  these  fields  and  farms. 
And  help  the  king  maintain  his  arms. 
And  thus  became  his  Majesty's 
Most  loyal,  royal  savages! 
Deceived  Burgoyne!  his  feast  supplied 
Less  cheer  than  that  of  Barmecide! 

As  Brutus  fell  and  kissed  his  mother  earth. 

We  journey  to  this  region  of  our  birth. 

Full  ready  to  embrace,  if  so  might  be. 

This  boundless  ocean  of  our  infancy; 

A  prismed  pendant,  dropped  from  out  the  skies. 

Between  the  everlasting  hills  it  lies, 

Reflecting  every  cloud  and  every  star  — 

No  man  arranged  the  scene,  and  none  shall  mar; 

No   foe  to  life  that  loves  the  crystal  wave, 

Shall  make  this  sea  a  vast  and  turbid  grave; 

Sweet  were  these  waters,  tasted  by  Champlain, 

And  healthful,  sweet,  and  clear  they  must  remain; 

Fair  were  these  shores  in  virgin  beauty  then. 

But  fairer  now,  set  with  the  homes  of  men; 

And  fairer,  happier  shall  they  be,  when  Trade 

Again  resumes  the  way  from  which  she  strayed; 

When  lofty  ships,  and  lines  of  barges  long. 

Shall  bring,  with  costly  bales,  the  sailor's  song; 

The  Caughnawauga's  dream  may  yet  be  true  — 

A  port  here  rise  more  rich  than  Rome  e'er  knew. 

And  if  it  be  that  Glory*  is  the  sun 

Of  those  gone  hence  —  of  those  whose  day  is  done  • 

What  floods  of  light  must  fill  the  Elysian  ways. 

Wherein  the  great  Explorer's  spirit  strays! 

THE  END 


*  The  French  have  a  saying — "La  gloire  est  le  soleil  des  morU. 


230  State  of  New  York 

Chairman  Knapp  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  present  the  President 
of  the  United  States     (Applause.) 

The  President  —  Governor  Hughes,  Ladles  and  Gentlemen:  I  am  not 
going  to  detain  you  very  long.  I  see  Col.  Cowles  with  his  battalion  ready  to  charge 
on  you,  and  I  have  too  much  compassion  for  you  to  subject  you  to  the  results. 

First,  I  wish  to  congratulate  you  on  having  listened  to  such  a  great  address  as 
Senator  Root  has  given  us  here  in  his  discriminating  historic  sense  and  with  the 
eloquence  of  words  that  I  am  sure  we  shall  be  glad  to  read  over  and  over  again. 
(Applause.)  I  didn't  know  —  perhaps  all  of  you  did  —  but  I  didn't  know  that  we 
were  indebted  so  much  to  the  Iroquois  for  the  result  that  we  are  here,  and  that  we 
are  speaking  English  instead  of  French.  (Laughter.)  He  has  traced  with  the 
master  hand  of  the  man  who  knows  peoples  and  constitutional  law,  the  develop- 
ment of  that  strength  that  came  from  popular  force  in  the  Colonies,  and  that  lined 
the  Atlantic  and  that  backed  Wolfe  in  the  fight  which  he  had  with  Montcalm  on 
the  Plains  of  Abraham. 

I  congratulate  you  that  you  had  a  French  orator  to-day  in  Senator  Root. 
(Laughter.)  The  rest  of  us  have  been  speaking  from  morning  to  dewey  eve,  and 
when  we  arise  the  first  thing  we  think  of  and  grope  for  is  a  subject.  (Laughter.) 
My  friend  the  Governor  was  fortunate  enough  to  see  the  mountains  of  Vermont, 
and  he  dwelt  on  them.  (Laughter.)  My  friend  the  French  Ambassador  couldn't 
get  to  his  place  without  going  around  me,  so  he  dwelt  on  me.  (Laughter.)  And 
while  I  value  deep  in  my  heart  the  compliment  that  he  paid,  I  must  attribute  it  to 
circumstances  rather  than  design.  And  so  too,  with  my  friend  the  Postmaster- 
General  from  Canada.  Well,  there  is  a  good  deal  in  being  a  subject.  He  spoke 
of  Murray  Bay  and  my  knowledge  of  Canada.  I  am  delighted  to  say  that  for  1  6 
years  I  have  spent  most  of  my  summers  in  Canada,  and  I  have  learned  that  north 
of  us  is  a  great  and  rising  people  (applause),  a  people  bound  to  be  prosperous, 
bound  to  be  great,  and  whose  prosperity  and  greatness  I  know  that  Americans  are 
great  enough  not  to  be  jealous  of  but  to  welcome. 

And  now,  my  friends,  we  have  all  got  to  make  speeches  to-night.  The  subject 
which  Governor  Hughes  has  to-night  is  "  New  York."  That  is  large  enough,  but 
I  have  to  speak  about  the  United  States,  and  therefore,  I  ask  you  to  excuse  me 
from  delaying  you  further  except  to  congratulate  you,  as  I  do  most  heartily,  on  the 
success  of  these  celebrations  and  memorials  that  bring  out  such  good  neighborhood 
feeling,  that  bring  out  such  pride  in  our  ancestry,  that  fill  us  with  a  knowledge  of 
history,  and  that  hold  high  above  us  the  ideals  which  are  right  for  nations  and 
people  to  feel.      (Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  231 

Immediately  following  the  literary  exercises  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks, 
evening  parade  was  held,  attended  by  many  thousands. 

During  the  week  the  city  of  Plattsburgh  had  been  given  over  to  car- 
nival and  spectacle.  In  the  local  celebration  the  preceding  day  it  was 
designated  as  "  French  Day."  The  ceremonies  had  opened  with  a  mass 
at  St.  Peter's  church,  celebrated  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Mgr.  Racicot,  Coadjutor 
Bishop  of  Montreal,  assisted  by  Rev.  J.  N.  Pelletier,  O.  M.  I.,  pastor 
of  St.  Peter's  church.  During  the  mass  hymns  were  sung  by  the  boys' 
choir  of  St.  Peter's.  The  church  was  decorated  with  flags  and  banners 
of  the  League  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  with  the  papal  colors.  A  sermon 
was  preached  by  the  Very  Rev.  Father  Dozois,  O.  M.  I.,  of  Montreal, 
Provincial  of  the  Oblates  in  the  Province  of  Quebec.  Many  visiting 
clergy  from  points  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  shared  in  the  service. 

Following  this  service  a  great  parade  passed  through  the  streets  of 
Plattsburgh,  under  the  chief  marshaling  of  Dr.  J.  H.  LaRocque.  It 
included  many  civic  and  church  societies,  numerous  bands  of  music,  and 
several  historical  floats,  among  them  one  representing  Champlain's  vessel, 
the  Don  de  Dieu;  another  symbolizing  the  battle  of  Crown  Point,  another 
showing  an  audience  of  Champlain  with  Henry  IV.,  and  still  others 
symbolizing  episodes  in  the  history  of  the  region.  The  parade  was 
reviewed  in  front  of  the  court-house  by  the  Mayor  of  Plattsburgh  and 
other  officials.  On  its  arrival  at  St.  Peter's  college  it  was  reviewed  by 
church  officials  and  there  the  address  of  the  day  was  delivered  by  the 
Hon.  H.  A.  Dubuque,  city  solicitor  of  Fall  River,  Mass. 

The  throng  that  gathered  on  this  occasion  included  a  large  part  of  the 
French-American  residents  of  Northern  New  York,  together  with  many 
visitors  from  Vermont  and  Canada.  This  element  of  the  population  of 
the  Champlain  valley  had  labored  with  great  zeal  to  make  their  part 
of  the  celebration  a  success.  A  complete  success  it  certainly  was,  char- 
acterized by  good  taste  and  artistic  features  which  were  fully  appreciated 
by  the  public. 

The  New  York  Tercentenary  parade  in  Plattsburgh,  on  July  7th, 
brought  together  perhaps  the  most  interesting  body  of  troops  ever  seen 


232  State  of  New  York 

in  the  region.  It  included  not  only  numerous  organizations  of  the  United 
States  regular  army  and  of  New  York  National  Guard,  but  also  of 
Canadian  troops,  conspicuous  among  them  being  the  Governor-Generars 
Foot  Guards  and  the  Fifth  Royal  Canadian  Highlanders.  These  vis- 
itors formed  a  second  division  of  the  great  parade  in  which  also  marched 
as  escort  the  Second  Regiment,  National  Guard,  of  New  York.  Colonel 
Calvin  D.  Cowles  of  the  Fifth  U.  S.  Infantry  was  grand  marshal,  his 
chief  of  staff  being  Captain  E.  Wittenmeyer,  also  of  the  Fifth  Infantry. 
Then  came  his  staff  and  aides,  and,  as  personal  escort  to  the  President, 
Troop  "  H  "  of  the  Fifteenth  Cavalry,  Captain  W.  T.  Littebrant 
commanding.  The  President  and  party  rode  in  carriages,  followed  by 
a  brigade  of  the  regular  army,  consisting  of  the  Fifth  and  Twenty-fourth 
Infantry,  Colonel  William  Paulding  of  the  Twenty-fourth  command- 
ing. The  second  division,  in  which  marched  the  Canadian  troops, 
was  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Lloyd,  of  the  New 
York  National  Guard.  A  third  division.  Col.  J.  H.  Grogan,  marshal, 
was  made  up  of  veterans  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Following 
the  military  were  other  divisions  made  up  of  civic  and  fraternal  societies, 
with  bands  and  floats.  The  President  reviewed  the  parade  from  a  grand 
stand  at  the  military  post,  and,  later,  after  the  day's  addresses,  also 
reviewed  a  brigade  parade. 

Other  features  of  the  celebration  on  this  day  at  Plattsburgh,  arranged 
by  the  New  York  Commission,  included  the  Indian  pageants,  given  in  the 
morning  and  again  at  evening  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saranac  river,  and  the 
day  came  to  a  close  with  a  most  elaborate  display  of  fireworks.  Very 
notable,  too,  were  the  electric  illuminations.  Meanwhile,  the  President 
and  other  high  officials  had  returned  to  the  Hotel  Champlain,  where,  at 
8  o'clock,  a  banquet  was  served. 


««J55        P  '  ■         L— 11'      '   ""  .'    I  ■' 


IXI 


o 


,jy.,//.,/„^y.,_H.'''/ 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  233 


THE  BANQUET 

Four  hundred  and  fifty  guests,  including  New  York  legislators 
and  State  officers,  attended  the  banquet  at  the  Hotel  Champlain, 
tendered  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  by  the  Governor  of 
New  York  and  the  New  York  State  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commis- 
sion. The  great  hotel,  now  only  a  memory,  as  it  burned  to  the  ground  a 
few  months  afterward,  was  most  elaborately  trimmed  for  the  occasion. 
The  hotel  grounds  were  festooned  with  thousands  of  Japanese  lanterns 
and  the  building  itself  festooned  with  American  flags.  At  the  principal 
portals  were  draped  the  flags  of  France  and  Great  Britain.  The  large 
dining-room  displayed  the  climax  of  the  decorator's  art.  Behind  the 
President's  seat  was  placed  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  United  States.  At  his 
right  hand  and  his  left  were  seated  Governor  Hughes  of  New  York  and 
Governor  Prouty  of  Vermont,  and  behind  them  were  the  banners  and 
official  insignia  of  the  respective  states.  Around  the  banquet  hall  were 
shown  the  banners  of  other  states,  with  many  American  flags,  and,  at  one 
end  of  the  hall,  a  handsome  oil  painting  of  Champlain.  Although  the 
decorations  were  most  elaborate,  the  effect  was  thoroughly  artistic  and 
pleasing.  The  engraved  menu  cards  for  each  guest  were  bound  in  limp 
leather,  stamped  in  gold. 

At  the  speakers'  table  were  seated,  besides  the  President  and  the 
Governors  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  the  Rt.  Hon.  James  Bryce,  the 
British  Ambassador;  the  Hon.  Jean  Jules  Jusserand,  the  French  Ambas- 
sador; Vice- Admiral  Stokichi  Uriu,  of  the  Japanese  Navy;  the  Hon. 
Rodolphe  Lemieux,  Postmaster-General  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada; 
Sir  Adolphe  Pelletier,  Lieut.-Governor  of  the  Province  of  Quebec;  Sir 
Lomer  Gouin,  Premier  of  Quebec;  Hon.  Jacob  M.  Dickinson,  Secretary 
of  War;  Hon.  Elihu  Root,  U.  S.  Senator;  His  Eminence  Cardinal 
Gibbons,  and  the  Honorables  D.  J.  Foster,  H.  Wallace  Knapp,  George 
R.  Malby,  Frank  Plumley,  John  Raines,  Edwin  A.  Merritt,  Jr.,  and 
Captain  A.  W.  Butt.  U.  S.  A. 


234  State  of  New  York 

Chairman  Knapp,  of  the  New  York  Commission,  presented  the  toast- 
master  of  the  occasion  in  the  following  words: 

Chairman  Knapp  —  Gentlemen:  While  we  have  commemorated 
to-day  the  historical  events  of  the  struggle  between  the  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  this  section  of  the  country  is  a  part  of 
the  great  State  of  New  York,  and  as  we  turn  from  the  history  of  the 
vast  north,  you  will  agree  with  me  that  the  toastmaster  should  be  the 
distinguished  Governor  of  the  State,  whom  I  now  present  to  you,  the 
Honorable  Charles  E.  Hughes.     (Great  applause.) 

Governor  Hughes  at  Hotel  Champlain 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Mr.  President,  Distinguished  Cuests, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  The  State  of  New  York  bids  you  welcome.  With  its 
population  of  nine  millions  and  unsurpassed  resources,  it  turns  to-day  from  the 
problems  of  a  crowded  present  to  bask  in  the  light  of  sentiment  and  romance.  We 
have  been  tracing  our  history  and  our  civilization  to  their  sources.  We  have  learned, 
in  the  eloquent  discourse  of  our  Senator,  of  the  "  Long  House,"  and  that  the  poor 
Indian  has  been  our  saviour.  We  have  followed  the  intrepid  navigator  on  his 
voyage  of  discovery,  and  we  have  shown  honor  to  a  peerless  name.  We  have  traced 
the  history  of  conflict  between  nations,  the  development  of  a  new  country,  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  new  nation. 

Here  in  this  little  northeastern  nook  of  the  United  States  we  have  been  talking  of 
a  great  highway  —  a  gateway  to  the  Continent  —  discovered  300  years  ago.  Two 
years  ago  at  Jamestown  we  pictured  the  early  English  settlements  and  heard  dignified 
and  inspiring  discourse  upon  the  influence  of  England  on  our  development.  Later 
in  the  Fall  we  shall  trace  the  voyage  of  the  Half  Moon  and  the  work  of  the  Dutch 
in  laying  the  foundations  of  New  Amsterdam.  Out  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  they  are 
at  this  moment  taking  count  of  the  trails  of  pioneers,  of  the  wonderful  venture- 
someness  of  those  scions  of  the  nations  that  peopled  the  eastern  coast,  and,  with  little 
thought  of  our  Tercentenary,  are  portraying  the  wonders  of  our  resources  in  Alaska. 
And  so  the  thought  comes  to  me  at  this  time  of  the  great  united  people  of  which  we, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  we  are  having  this  celebration,  are  but  a  fraction. 
(Applause.)  The  discovery  of  Champlain,  the  voyage  of  Hudson,  the  historic  con- 
flicts of  England  and  of  France,  seen  in  the  light  of  our  present  development,  touched 
only  at  the  rim.  Spreading  over  this  great  domain  are  a  people  linked  together  by 
bonds  not  forged  by  interests  of  a  material  nature,  but  by  that  oneness  of  spirit  and 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  235 


that  community  of  ideals  which  make  us  despite  the  extent  of  our  territory  and  the 
variety  of  origin  a  most  closely  united  people.  (Applause.)  It  is  true  that  we  have 
in  one  sense  no  national  press.  There  are  no  papers  published  in  any  one  place 
influencing  the  opinion  of  the  entire  country.  It  is  also  true  that  we  are  lacking 
certain  conditions  which  have  been  deemed  essential  to  unity.  We  are  proud  of  our 
local  communities;  of  our  States.  Even  in  our  villages  and  cities  we  nourish  a 
wholesome  local  patriotism.  But  whether  you  are  at  Seattle  or  Jamestown,  at 
Plattsburgh  or  New  York  City  —  and  I  hope  even  at  Burlington  —  (laughter)  you 
will  find  that  the  sentiment  uppermost  is  not  that  of  attachment  to  a  State  or  to  any 
village  or  city,  but  that  the  dominating  sentiment  is  that  of  American  unity. 
(Applause.)  And  so  this  is  a  national  celebration.  We  are  not  thinking  of  our 
ownership  of  a  part  of  this  land,  nor  of  the  particular  relation  of  the  discovery  of 
our  State.  We  are  thinking  of  the  relation  of  that  discovery  to  the  beginning  of 
our  national  history. 

Now,  we  find,  particularly  in  tariff  discussions,  that  we  are  divided  by  a  thou- 
sand interests.  We  find  in  the  different  sections  of  the  country,  a  certain  difference 
of  views  and  of  perspectives.  But  there  is  a  center  of  influence,  a  unifying  repre- 
sentative, one  who  stands  for  all  the  people,  without  regard  to  State  or  section  or 
district,  one  who  represents  the  dominant  sentiment  —  intensely  American,  indestruc- 
tibly patriotic  —  one  who,  before  the  American  people,  incarnates  their  ideal  of 
executive  authority,  freely  granted  and  responsibly  exercised,  the  President  of  the 
United  States.     (Applause.) 

President  Taft  —  Mr.  Toastmasier  and  Centlemen:  I  have  the  toast,  "The 
United  States,"  not  the  Toastmaster;  but  he  has  spoken  so  well,  and  covered  so 
much  of  the  subject,  that  it  leaves  but  little  for  me  to  say.  In  turn,  however,  I  will 
take  up  "  The  State  of  New  York."  (Laughter.)  I  want  to  congratulate  the 
State  of  New  York  on  the  success  of  this  great  memorial.  (Applause.)  The 
foreign  affairs  of  the  United  States  are  committed  to  the  central  Government;  but 
the  State  of  New  York  and  the  State  of  Vermont  have  in  this  instance  taken  a 
step  which  will  prove,  and  is  proving,  most  important  in  our  foreign  relations.  They 
have  strengthened  the  bond  that  exists  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
the  United  States  and  France,  and  the  United  States  and  Canada.     (Applause.) 

I  congratulate  the  State  of  New  York  in  having  introduced  three  or  four  days  of 
vacation  —  a  siesta,  as  we  call  it  in  Spain.  We  are  in  the  habit  of  criticising  our 
Spanish  and  Italian  friends  for  having  too  many  holidays.  I  think  we  may  err  in 
that  matter.  I  don't  think  we  have  enough  holidays  in  the  United  States,  and  I  am 
glad  that  the  Empire  State  is  setting  the  fashion  to  have  more  of  them,  though  I  could 
wish  they  did  not  come  three  in  succession.     Whenever  you  get  a  difficulty  between 


236  State  of  New  York 

the  two  States  as  to  a  boundary  line,  you  appeal  to  the  Federal  jurisdiction  to  help 
you  out;  you  go  to  the  Supreme  Court.  I  am  anticipating  some  discussion  as  to 
where  that  monument  to  Champlain  is  going  to  be  put  (laughter),  and  I  am  going 
to  suggest  that  if  you  can't  agree  —  that  is,  if  the  two  Governors,  or  the  two  Legis- 
latures cannot  agree,  you  submit  it  to  a  board  of  arbitration  of  the  two  Ambassadors, 
one  from  Great  Britain  and  one  from  France  and  the  chief  Executive  of  the  United 
States  (applause),  and  we  will  agree  to  suit  nobody.     (Laughter.) 

Secondly,  I  want,  on  behalf  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  to  thank 
sincerely  those  gentlemen  soldiers  of  the  Scotch  Highland  regiment  of  Montreal,  who 
did  us  the  honor  to  come  here  to-day  and  make  part  of  that  most  noteworthy  military 
review,  and  who  showed  their  kindness,  their  neighborly  feeling,  by  becoming  a  part 
of  a  military  force  in  command  of  a  United  States  Colonel,  and  making  such  a 
display  as  would  bring  credit  to  any  military  command.     (Applause.) 

The  British  Ambassador  himself  referred  to  the  applause  with  which  the  "  red- 
coats "  were  received  as  they  went  by  (Voices:  "  Hear!  "  "  Hear!  ")  I  am 
delighted  to  say  that  his  interpretation  of  that  as  a  sincere  welcome  was  a  true  one. 
I  hope  that  such  exhibitions  of  neighborly  feeling  and  of  united  peaceful  action  may 
continue  to  grow,  not  only  on  this  side,  but  on  the  other  side  of  the  line,  not  only 
in  New  York,  but  in  Vermont  and  in  other  states.     (Applause.) 

And  now,  to  the  subject  which  has  been  assigned  me  —  "  The  United  States  " — 
a  very  large  one,  and  one  which  could  hardly  be  covered  so  late  at  night.  I  think 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  those  who  have  studied  our  country  and  our  civilization 
and  our  Constitution  and  our  people  will  reach  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  country 
in  the  world  more  conservative  than  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 
(Applause.)  In  view  of  the  changes  which  are  taking  place  in  government;  in 
view  of  the  new  doctrines  which  are  being  advanced  of  a  socialistic  character,  I 
think  that  is  one  of  the  most  important  things  to  emphasize  with  reference  to  the 
United  States.  (Applause.)  I  don't  mean  to  say  that  we  are  not  progressive  in 
the  sense  that  we  intend  to  keep  up  with  the  procession  in  a  development  which  shall 
work  more  and  more  justice  to  all;  but  I  do  mean  to  say  that  the  long-continued 
training  of  a  people  in  self-government  is  certain  to  produce  a  conservatism  that 
cannot  be  expected  in  a  people  that  are  newly  come  to  self-government,  and  who 
suffer  more  violent  reactions  on  that  account.  (Applause.)  Not  that  we  are  perfect 
in  the  United  States;  not  that  we  don't  need  a  great  many  reforms.  I  can  mention 
one  that  always  comes  to  my  mind,  and  that  is  the  necessity  of  reform  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  original  law.  But  when  you  look  back  and  see  the  progress  that  we 
have  made  in  many  directions,  I  think  we  may  congratulate  ourselves  in  living  in  an 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  237 


age  in  which  we  are  making  progress,  in  which  the  people  are  more  sensitive  than 
they  ever  were  before  to  the  criticisms  that  we  are  not  holding  ourselves  up  to  the 
right  ideals. 

There  will  come  undoubtedly,  as  our  country  becomes  more  and  more  populated, 
as  others  press  upon  us,  the  necessity  for  the  conservation  of  our  resources.  Sug- 
gestions are  already  emphatically  made  upon  that  subject.  There  will  come  a  test 
of  the  practical  operation  of  our  system  of  State  and  National  Government.  And 
it  will  doubtless  be  found  that  at  times  that  system  does  not  work  as  well  to  accom- 
plish the  reforms  we  are  after  as  a  system  in  which  the  Federal  Government  had 
much  more  power,  and  it  may  be  that  in  some  directions  it  will  be  found  necessary 
to  enlarge  somewhat  the  central  power;  but  I  have  an  abiding  faith  in  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  as  it  is —  (applause),  marvellously  framed  by  that 
body  of  patriots  and  lavs^ers  and  statesmen,  in  simple  language,  bearing  an  elastic 
construction  to  meet  conditions  that  they,  in  their  wildest  imagination,  could  not  have 
foreseen.  (Applause.)  And  therefore,  while  in  some  comparatively  unimportant 
matters  we  may  have  to  change  that  relation,  I  feel  certain  that  the  Constitution 
as  it  is  will  furnish  to  us  the  instrument  of  continuing  the  growth  of  the  United  States 
in  the  right  direction  towards  our  highest  ideals  and  permit  us  still  to  maintain  that 
system,  difficult  for  others  to  understand,  but  which  we  ourselves  love,  that  indestruc- 
tible union  of  indestructible  States.      (Applause.) 

Governor  HuGHES  —  I  very  much  regret  that  the  one  who  was  to  be  our  next 
speaker,  is  detained  at  Washington  by  his  duty  as  Presiding  Officer  of  the  Senate  — 
our  esteemed  fellow  citizen  held  by  the  Long  House.  This  is  a  time  that  the  Long 
House  has  proved  a  barrier  to  our  enjoyment;  but  we  send  our  hearty  wishes  and 
good  will  to  the  Honorable  James  S.  Sherman.  (Applause.)  We  have  been 
hearing  much  this  week  of  New  France.  We  have  paid  our  tribute  to  the  France  of 
Henry  —  Henry  of  Navarre,  and  to  the  strong,  brave  Champlain.  We  have  paid 
our  tribute  to  the  chivalrous  spirit,  the  daring  and  indomitable  energy  of  Montcalm. 
We  can  never  forget  what  we  owe  to  the  France  of  La  Fayette  (applause),  but 
whatever  may  have  been  the  influence  of  New  France,  and  however  interesting  the 
discussion  in  the  Old  World,  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  New  France,  and  of  the 
permanent  influence  that  remains  despite  its  failure  so  far  as  national  control  may 
be  concerned,  we  know  this;  that  the  representative  of  latest  France  has  captured 
the  American  people.  (Applause.)  He  represents  our  sister  Republic,  the  newest 
France  —  Liberty,  Equality,  Fraternity.  For  two  days  we  have  been  under  his 
charm  and  indebted  to  his  eloquence;  and  we  are  highly  honored  to-night  that  once 
more  we  meet  here  with  one  whom  we  esteem  first  because  he  represents  our  old 


238  State  of  New  York 

friend  and  ally,  and  next  because  he  so  worthily  represents,  in  his  own  person,  the 
culture,  the  ability  and  the  charm  of  the  French  people  —  Ambassador  Jusserand. 
(Applause.) 

Ambassador  JusSERAND  —  Mr.  President,  \jour  Excellencies,  and  Centlemen: 
The  France  of  to-day  has  for  America  the  feelings  of  the  France  of  former  times, 
with  this  difference  only,  that  as  America  has  grown  greater  France  has  grown 
greater,  too,  in  friendship.  I  am  very  happy  to  have  to  answer  the  admirable  toast 
of  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  to  say  that  while 
the  French  flag  has  been  sometimes  triumphant,  sometimes  not,  it  has  always  been 
honored;  it  is  not  without  emotion  that  I  see  it,  in  this  hall,  surrounded  by  the 
emblem  of  that  Republic  ever  dear  to  us,  the  United  States,  and  by  the  emblem  of 
that  other  friendly  country,  England.  (Applause.)  Those  three  flags  mean  much, 
and  they  mean,  among  other  things  to  us,  a  manly  aspiration  towards  individual 
liberty,  the  will  to  preserve  for  each  man  the  right  to  shape  his  own  destiny,  choose 
his  own  ways  in  life  and  to  say  his  say  on  what  concerns  the  country  to  which  he 
belongs  and  which  reciprocally  (a  fact  which  in  former  days  was  lost  sight  of) 
belongs  to  him.      (Applause.) 

The  friendship  of  France  you  have,  you  American  friends,  and  you  too,  English 
friends,  you  have  it,  and  I  know  you  consider  it  worth  having,  because  France, 
contrary  to  what  is  sometimes  said  of  her,  is  not  a  flighty  but  a  steady  nation.  She 
is  not  without  some  resemblance  with  her  own  son  whom  we  are  honoring  to-day, 
Champlain. 

Champlain  was  not  a  flighty  man;  it  was  not  by  being  a  flighty  man  that  he 
gained  his  place  in  your  hearts  and  in  history.  He  was  a  plain,  straightforward 
pioneer,  a  man  of  conscience,  doing  his  duty  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  He  did  it 
indeed  against  the  strong  and  he  did  it  in  favor  of  the  weak  all  his  life,  saving  from 
torture,  when  he  could,  some  of  his  Iroquois  enemies. 

A  good  trait  in  him  as  a  discoverer  was  that  he  recognized  that  this  land  was  not 
one  to  be  simply  visited,  or  simply  exploited,  but  one  to  be  colonized.  He  recognized 
that  it  was  a  good  country  where  honest  people  could  live  and  rear  families,  and 
great  credit  is  due  to  hira  for  having  brought  his  family  to  America  and  lived  with 
them  in  Quebec. 

There  Champlain  died,  and  contrary  to  Montcalm,  who  ended  his  life  there,  too, 
he  had,  on  his  last  day,  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  he  had  done  durable  work. 
He  had  founded  a  city,  a  very  small  one  at  first,  so  small  that  during  one  of  its 
first  years,  there  were  only  28  inhabitants  in  it,  and  when  the  winter  was  over,  there 
were  only  eight  left.  But  when  he  died  that  city  was  a  real  city,  a  fine  one  in  a 
fair  way  to  become  the  superb  one  which  we  all  know  and  admire. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  239 


Champlain  achieved  these  results  simply  because  he  was  a  steady,  persistent  man; 
he  never  gave  up;  he  never  despaired,  and  when  fate  was  adverse,  simply  waited 
and  began  again.  I  think  that  the  whole  of  his  career  may  be  summed  up  in  one 
saying  of  the  philosopher  Bacon,  "  He  goes  far  that  never  turneth." 

That  is  true  of  men,  and  it  is  true  of  nations,  too.  The  fecund  friendship  between 
the  countries  represented  here  to-night  will  be  preserved  and  it  will  be  rich  in  happy 
results,  because  "  he  goes  far  that  never  turneth." 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Whatever  may  be  our  sentimental  attachments  we  learned 
our  lessons  in  liberty  at  our  mother's  knee.  We  went  to  school  in  England. 
(Applause.)  She  taught  us  the  principles  of  self-government.  If  we  conquered 
her  armies  it  was  to  vindicate  her  principles.  And  now  she  is  privileged  in  seeing 
her  child  well  established  in  her  own  home,  a  fond  fruition  of  her  fondest  parental 
hopes.  It  is  a  very  graceful  compliment  paid  by  Great  Britain  to  the  United  States 
when  she  sends  to  us  her  present  representative  (applause),  for  he  of  all  men  of  that 
great  empire  fully  understands  us.  In  former  days  we  were  boastful;  now  we  know 
too  much  to  boast,  but  we  are  anxious  to  be  appreciated.  There  was  one  who 
bettered  the  instrument  of  the  past  by  giving  us  the  most  adorable  statement  that  we 
have  with  regard  to  our  modern  life;  he  told  us  what  we  were,  he  described  the 
workings  of  our  institutions;  he  almost  displaced  American  commentaries  and  those 
who  would  philosophise  with  regard  to  our  development ;  he  is  the  foremost  instructor 
of  our  youth;  we  think  of  him  with  difficulty  as  an  Englishman;  he  recognizes  a 
foreign  allegiance  and  stands  here  to-day  representing  his  sovereign,  but  he  is  of 
our  hearts,  kin  to  our  spirit,  in  his  ideals  most  truly  American,  and  has  a  friend  in 
every  American  heart.  Ambassador  Bryce.  (Applause,  which  spontaneously 
changed  to  music  as  the  assembly  sang  "  For  He's  a  Jolly  Good  Fellow.") 

Ambassador  BrycE  —  Mr.  Toastmaster,  Mr.  President,  and  Gentlemen:  I 
thank  you,  Mr.  Toastmaster,  for  the  very  kind  words  that  you  have  spoken  about 
me,  and  I  thank  the  audience  present,  whom  I  will  venture  to  call,  after  an  acquain- 
tance of  two  days  in  the  case  of  most,  and  much  longer  in  the  case  of  some  — 
friends  —  I  venture  to  thank  you  for  the  cordial  welcome  you  have  given  to  me. 

You  have  allotted  to  me  a  very  large  subject  in  "  The  British  Empire."  The 
British  drum  has  been  heard  in  a  good  many  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  English 
flag  has  been  seen  upon  a  good  many  scenes;  and  in  one  way  or  another,  by 
discovery  or  otherwise,  we  have  acquired  a  considerable  part  of  the  earth's  surface. 
So  have  you.  (Laughter.)  It  was,  I  think,  Mark  Twain  who  said  that  the  career 
of  the  British  and  American  people  verify  the  statement  of  the  Gospel  that  the  meek 
shall  inherit  the  earth.     We  possess  a  great  many  territories  of  different  degrees  of 


240  State  of  New  York 


value.  Some  of  them,  like  Canada,  are  the  homes  of  great  peoples.  Some  of  them, 
like  the  Antarctic  Continent,  are  valuable  as  the  places  in  which  the  strange 
phenomena  of  terrestrial  workings  and  the  magnetic  pole  may  be  investigated.  We 
have  acquired,  I  need  not  say,  all  these  places  in  the  interests  of  peace,  order  and 
civilization.  I  do  not  take  any  credit  for  that,  gentlemen,  because  I  am  aware  that 
all  nations  that  have  ever  acquired  territories  outside  their  ovra  have  done  it  from 
the  same  disinterested  and  philanthropic  motives.     (Laughter.) 

But  the  greatest  thing,  perhaps,  besides  our  great  poets,  who  were  produced  at 
the  time  when  you  yourself  and  your  ancestors  were  Englishmen,  the  thing  we  most 
desire  to  be  remembered  by  in  history  is  that  we  settled  the  United  States,  and  that 
you  and  we,  your  ancestors  and  our  ancestors,  when  they  dwelt  upon  the  same  old 
English  soil,  created  those  free  institutions  under  which  you  and  we  have  lived  ever 
since.  On  this  occasion,  however,  instead  of  singing  the  praises  of  my  own  country 
I  prefer  rather  to  pass  tribute  to  what  we  feel  about  the  two  other  nations  that  have 
joined  with  us  in  this  celebration  —  or  rather  the  nation  which  has  permitted  us  to 
join  and  the  other  nation  which  has  joined  with  us. 

We  have  in  England  the  greatest  respect  and  admiration  for  the  French  people. 
We  admire  the  brilliance  of  their  literature.  We  admire  the  unequalled  gift  they 
have  shown  for  the  diffusion  of  ideas  among  other  people.  We  admire  the  stimulus 
they  have  given  to  intellectual  activity  and  the  power  they  have  shown  of  developing 
and  refining  intellectual  tastes.  Time  would  fail  me  to  say  all  that  Europe,  and 
England  in  particular,  owes  to  the  influence  of  France.  And  of  what  you  have  done 
how  can  I  speak?  Of  how  you  have  spread  civilization  with  unequalled  speed  and 
unsurpassed  energy  over  the  enormous  spaces  of  this  continent;  of  the  wonderful 
series  of  inventions  which  you  have  given  to  the  world,  for  which  the  world  is 
grateful;  and  perhaps,  most  of  all,  for  the  way,  upon  a  scale  of  unequalled  grandeur, 
in  which  you  have  developed  and  worked  a  system  of  free  institutions,  and  have 
shown  the  enormous  power  which  free  institutions  possess  of  making  a  country 
strong  and  prosperous;  of  reconciling  animosities  which  at  one  time  seemed  deadly; 
and  in  creating  out  of  those  who  have  been  bitter  foes  a  united  people.     (Applause.) 

Commemorations  like  this,  gentlemen,  seem  to  me  to  have  a  great  value  for  us  all. 
They  renew  the  sense  of  our  connection  v/ith  the  past;  they  revive  in  every  part  of 
the  country  the  associations  which  every  city  or  country  or  hamlet  ought  to  have 
with  the  great  events  and  the  great  men  of  by-gone  times.  They  carry  us  out  of 
the  narrow  range  of  our  own  daily  thoughts  and  interests;  they  remind  us  how  much 
there  is  that  we  have  to  think  of  and  to  live  for  beyond  our  business  and  our  amuse- 
ments; and  if  we  are  apt  at  any  time,  as  the  President  observed  this  afternoon,  to 
be  too  much  elated  by  our  material  progress,  they  serve  to  remind  us  when  we  look 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  241 


back  over  the  centuries,  when  we  think  of  the  long  past  that  lies  behind,  of  the 
boundless  future  that  lies  before,  how  small  a  part  we,  in  our  generation,  are  in  the 
general  march  of  things;  how  we  are  little  more  than  motes  in  the  sunbeam  or 
bubbles  that  break  as  they  pass  upon  the  stream.  That  will  be  the  case  of  nearly 
all  of  us.  The  President  of  the  United  States,  like  the  rest  of  that  illustrious  line, 
will  be  remembered  as  long  as  the  United  States  lasts.  (Applause.)  And  there 
are  others.  There  is  one  whom  we  wish  could  have  been  here  to-day;  there  is  one 
who  is  beside  me  for  whom  I  can  predict  a  long  memory  in  politics.  I  think  that 
Mr.  Root  (applause),  as  your  Senator  —  you  will  the  more  willingly  permit  me 
to  speak  of  him  —  in  what  he  has  done,  has  deserved  your  sympathy  and  that  of 
the  people  of  Latin  America;  he  has  earned  for  himself  great  renown,  and  I  hope 
he  will  be  commemorated  by  having  cities  called  after  him  in  Argentina  or  Brazil, 
and  perhaps  having  some  memorial  erected  to  him  by  those  whose  fame  he  vindicated 
to-day.  And  I  think  our  friend,  your  Governor,  will  long  be  remembered,  not 
only  in  the  State  of  New  York,  but  in  this  country.  (Applause.)  We  have  a 
way  in  England  of  paying  tribute  to  great  men,  which  I  dare  say  may  be  used 
here,  though  I  have  not  witnessed  an  example  of  it.  We  call  race  horses  after  them 
(laughter  and  applause),  but  there  are  many  other  ways  more  enduring  even  than 
the  famous  sporting  circles  in  which  the  name  and  services  of  Governor  Hughes  will 
be  remembered. 

Gentlemen,  in  these  celebrations  we  have  been  holding  during  the  last  few  days  I 
confess  that  that  which  appeals  to  me  most  is  the  commemoration  of  Samuel  Cham- 
plain  himself.  I  think  he  stands  out  among  the  discoverers  and  the  conquerers  of 
the  New  World  with  a  singularly  spotless  fame.  He  was  a  man,  valiant,  brave 
and  resourceful,  equally  competent  to  wield  the  sword  or  pen;  a  clear-headed  and 
right-thinking  man,  a  God-fearing  man,  and  he  was  a  man  of  whom  France  may 
well  be  proud.  But  when  I  come  to  think  of  the  battles  and  the  sieges  and  of  the 
gallantry  shovra  in  them,  it  seems  after  all  it  \yas  hardly  necessary  to  have  so  much 
fighting  in  order  to  prove  that  Englishmen,  whether  colonists  or  of  Old  England, 
or  to  prove  that  Frenchmen,  were  courageous  men;  and  if  I  come  to  think  of  the 
battles  and  the  sieges,  my  regret  is  rather  that  so  much  fighting  was  found  necessary; 
and  one  would  be  sorry  to  see  these  warlike  preparations  if  one  thought  they  tended 
to  create  a  military  spirit.  I  believe,  however,  that  has  not  been  the  nature  of  our 
celebrations  here.  It  has  been  the  reverse.  I  need  say  nothing  more  about  our 
relations  and  your  relations  to  France.  That  has  been  admirably  dealt  wnth  by  my 
friend  and  colleague,  the  French  Ambassador.  All  I  can  say  is  I  most  heartily 
reciprocate  every  word  of  friendship  that  he  has  spoken;  and  I  need  say  nothing 
about  your  relations  to  Canada,  because  I  could  not  possibly  improve  upon  what 
17 


242  State  of  New  York 


has  been  said.  I  can  do  nothing  but  express  my  thanks  for  the  words  which  have 
been  used  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  words  which  I  am  sure  will  be 
read  with  delight,  both  in  Canada  and  in  England  as  voicing  the  sentiments  which 
animate  your  people  toward  the  people  on  the  north  of  you;  but  I  do  hope  this, 
gentlemen,  that  not  only  will  those  sentiments  continue,  as  we  feel  sure  they  will, 
between  the  three  peoples  that  have  joined  in  this  celebration,  but  that  our  genera- 
lion  will  go  farther,  and  will  try  and  make  some  effort  that  the  same  peace  which 
now  happily  reigns  upon  this  continent  shall  reign  over  the  world  at  large. 
(Applause.) 

A  hundred  years  hence  I  suppose  there  will  be  another  celebration  of  the  cen- 
tenary of  Samuel  Champlain,  and  crowds  thrice  as  large  as  those  we  have  seen  will 
gather  from  a  country  thrice  as  populous,  and  then  speeches  will  be  made  and  these 
old  recollections  will  be  revived,  and  then  I  hope  it  will  be  said  that  our  generation 
here  and  elsewhere,  in  Europe  and  Asia,  as  well  as  in  America,  provided  no  more 
battle-fields  to  be  commemorated;  and  I  hope  that  those  who  then  meet  and  speak 
will  be  able  to  say  that  in  the  20th  century  and  perhaps  within  the  life  time  of  the 
present  generation  the  clouds  of  war  that  sometimes  still  darken  the  horizon  in  1  909 
had  vanished  away  into  the  blue,  and  that  battles  and  sieges  were  remembered  only 
as  our  poet  says,  as  old,  forgotten,  far  off  things,  things  destined  never  to  recur  in 
a  wiser  and  gentler  and  a  more  enlightened  age. 

Governor  HuGHES  —  When  we  saw  pass  in  review  to-day  the  Foot  Guards  of 
the  Governor-General  of  Canada  —  the  magnificent  array  of  the  Highlanders  — 
we  did  not  think  that  we  were  watching  the  armed  force  of  a  foreign  power,  I 
must  say,  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  that  the  thought  was  in  my  mind,  how  the  National  Guard  would  look  in  a 
uniform  like  that  (laughter).  We  were  friends  watching  those  who  represented 
to  us  the  panoply  of  peace,  the  guarantees  of  our  common  prosperity.  Over  that 
boundary  line  which  marks  no  distinction  in  our  ideals,  are  men  of  restless  energy, 
winning  an  empire  from  the  snows  —  a  strong,  hearty  race,  whom  we  recognize  as 
brethren.  We  learn  from  them;  they  may  learn  from  us.  And  wnthout  thought 
on  either  side  of  interference  with  the  political  destinies  of  the  other,  we  are  rivals 
only  in  enterprise  and  in  cordial  friendship.  (Applause.)  I  now  have  the  pleasure 
of  introducing  the  representative  of  the  Governor-General  of  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  the  Postmaster-General  of  Canada,  the  Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux.  (Great 
applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  243 


Toast  :  "  Canada  " 

Honorable  RoDOLPHE  Lemieux  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Your  Excellency,  Ladies 
and  Centletnen:  I  must,  in  the  first  place,  thank  you  most  cordially  for  giving  me  the 
opportunity  of  being  present  on  this  most  interesting  occasion.  It  is  one  of  those 
occasions  that  bind  peoples  together  and  promote  international  amity  and  good-fel- 
lowship, and  I  regard  it  as  a  high  honor  as  well  as  a  pleasure  to  occupy  a  small  place 
in  your  important  programme.  If  for  no  other  reason  than  that  it  afforded  an  oppor- 
tunity of  meeting  the  chief  magistrate  of  your  great  republic  it  would  be  a  memora- 
ble day.  Not  that  President  Taft  is  indeed  a  stranger  to  me,  or  to  the  people  of 
Canada  generally.  Next  to  the  heads  of  our  own  government,  we  in  Canada  are 
interested  in  the  great  man  who  is  chosen  by  popular  vote  every  four  years  to  preside 
over  the  destinies  of  ninety  millions  of  our  kinsmen.  We  regard  your  proceedings 
on  these  remarkable  occasions  as  amongst  the  grandest  object  lessons  contained  in 
history  of  the  wise  and  judicious  use  made  by  freemen  of  their  freedom,  and  to  be 
equalled  only  by  the  smoothness  and  facility  with  which  our  own  governmental 
machinery,  modelled  along  somewhat  different  lines,  enables  us  also  to  choose  our 
rulers  and  to  control  our  destiny.  Thus  it  is  that  we  have  learned  to  know  Mr. 
Taft  almost  as  though  we  were  his  own  countrymen,  and  to  admire  and  respect 
him  no  less.  We  have  followed  his  great  career  as  counsel,  judge,  diplomat, 
statesman,  and  rejoiced  with  you  when  his  long  services  to  the  state  and  to  human- 
ity won  for  him  the  highest  gift  it  is  in  the  power  of  any  people  to  bestow. 

Now,  as  to  the  celebration  itself.  Need  I  say  what  a  special  pride  I  feel  in  the 
fact  that  my  ancestors  came  from  that  same  land  of  chivalry  and  song  that  sent  forth 
the  great  navigator  who  three  centuries  ago  sailed,  first  among  the  white  men  of  the 
world,  the  waters  of  this  beautiful  lake.  A  year  ago  we  in  Canada  celebrated  the 
foundation  by  Samuel  de  Champlain  of  the  ancient  city  of  Quebec,  which  thus 
became  the  mother  city  of  the  present  Dominion.  You  will  not  wonder  that  we  in 
Canada  were  proud  and  glad  to  do  honor  to  Champlain's  memory,  that  Canadians 
of  English  and  French  blood  united  to  pay  enthusiastic  tribute  to  the  intrepid  French 
mariner  who  had  been  the  founder  of  a  nation.  How  can  we  be  other  than  proud 
of  a  man  who  fathered  and  cherished  an  infant  colony  as  he  fathered  and  cherished 
the  tiny  community  of  Quebec?  How  can  we  but  admire  and  marvel  at  the  pluck 
and  persistence  of  the  man  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean  twenty  times  in  days 
when  one  such  passage  was  a  thrilling  adventure,  saihng  not  in  luxurious  liners  with 
elaborate  menus  and  electric  light  and  daily  newspapers  and  wireless  telegrams 
throughout  a  short  six-day  voyage,  but  in  tiny  cockleshells  of  60  or  80  tons,  and 
amid  all  the  personal  discomfort  and  risk  that  such  navigation  entailed.     Whether 


244  State  of  New  York 


we  view  him  as  explorer,  missionary,  soldier,  statesman,  or  even  as  historian,  Cham- 
plain  will  always  remain  one  of  the  great  figures  of  American  history.  No  man 
foresaw  more  clearly  than  he  the  vastness  of  America's  destiny. 

It  is  natural,  too,  and  right  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  of  Canada 
should  come  together  in  such  a  celebration.  Their  histories  have  been  interwoven 
from  the  beginning,  and  their  relations  have  been  of  the  closest  and  most  intimate 
character.  It  was  from  the  United  States  somewhat  over  a  century  ago  that  we 
received  the  first  considerable  addition  to  our  population,  a  gallant  band  of  immigrants 
who  laid  the  foundation  of  the  English  stock  of  Canada.  Time  passed  on  and  a 
generation  or  so  ago  your  new  and  fertile  west  proved  a  magnet  to  scores  of  thou- 
sands of  sturdy  and  progressive  young  Canadians  from  Ontario,  while  at  the  same 
time  the  great  manufacturing  cities  of  New  England  drew  off  many  thousands  more 
of  our  people  from  Quebec  and  from  our  provinces  down  by  the  sea.  We  were 
returning  with  interest  the  loan  of  population  you  had  originally  made  to  us. 

These  same  Canadians,  we  are  proud  to  remember,  have  entered  every  walk  of 
life  in  your  country  and  have  everywhere  acquitted  themselves  well.  To-day  they 
constitute  one  of  the  most  important  elements  in  your  great  population. 

Now  it  is  the  Canadian  star  which  is  again  in  the  ascendant,  and  the  movement 
of  population  is  once  more  from  you  to  us.  A  welcome  stream  of  settlers  began  five 
or  six  years  ago  to  trickle  from  your  west  across  the  boundary  line  into  the  newly 
opened  prairie  lands  of  Canada,  and  the  stream  grew  from  year  to  year  until  it 
became  during  the  last  year  or  two  a  mighty  torrent  which  is  continuing  still  to  flood 
our  vast  vacant  west  with  well-to-do  and  experienced  settlers  at  the  rale  of  fifty,  sixty 
and  seventy  thousand  a  year.  Is  it  surprising  that  under  such  circumstances,  with 
such  an  ebb  and  flow  of  population  our  relations  should  be  close,  that  we  should 
know  each  other  v/ith  an  intimacy  which  but  rarely  exists  between  neighboring 
peoples? 

Are  there  elsewhere  in  the  world  two  states  where  there  is  such  international 
intercourse  of  every  kind  as  between  the  United  States  and  Canada,  such  marrying 
and  giving  in  marriage,  such  interchange  of  friendly  visits,  such  borrowing  and 
lending  between  banks;  such  courtesies  between  newspapers,  such  similarity  of  social 
method  and  commercial  outlook,  such  bonds  of  unity  in  thought  and  speech,  in 
reading  and  religion,  in  all  in  fact  that  goes  to  make  the  sum  of  our  life  from  day 
to  day  and  from  year  to  year,  as  between  our  people  and  your  people?  Those 
relations  have  never  been  more  cordial,  more  wholly  happy  than  they  are  at  the 
present  time.  In  a  general  way  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  room  for  improvement, 
but  we  on  our  side  at  least  are  determined  that  they  shall  never  be  less  happy  than 
to-day. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  245 


Commercially,  certainly  there  is  room  for  expansion,  and  expansion  there  is 
bound  to  be  of  the  widest  character.  When  we  reflect  that  there  are  to-day  seven 
millions  of  people  in  Canada  who  live  in  almost  every  respect  as  you  hve  in  the 
United  States,  and  who,  taken  in  the  mass,  are  as  comfortable  and  as  prosperous 
as  any  equal  number  of  people  in  the  world,  it  is  not  a  wildly  impossible  idea  that 
we  should  buy  from  you  to  the  extent  of  say  $50  per  head  per  annum.  That 
would  still  be  a  very  small  fraction  of  our  annual  outlay,  and  if  we  buy  from  you 
to  that  extent  then  surely  we  should  sell  to  you  in  somewhat  the  same  proportion, 
and  buying  and  selling  to  the  extent  of  $50  a  head  of  7,000,000  people  would 
represent  a  total  trading  of  nearly  $700,000,000.  Last  year  our  total  trade  with 
you  was  $324,169,425,  and  two-thirds  of  it  was  what  we  bought  from  you. 
You  will  agree,  I  am  sure,  that  there  is  room  for  expansion  here,  an  expansion  which 
would  mean  an  increase  in  the  commerce  and  prosperity  of  both  countries  and  an 
even  greater  intimacy  than  at  present.  For  you  cannot  trade  with  people  without 
knowing  them;  and  you  cannot  quarrel  with  those  with  whom  you  do  extensive 
business  —  it  does  not  pay.  So  let  us  have  trade  and  friendship  and  harmony 
without  end,  as  befits  two  enlightened  races  of  a  common  stock,  a  common  tongue 
and  a  common  literature.  Such  matters  of  difference  —  nay,  I  will  not  say 
"  difference,"  such  matters  of  regulation  as  there  must  be  between  us  we  shall 
refer  as  a  matter  of  course  to  arbitration,  as  we  are  doing  to-day  —  we  have 
signed  five  treaties  with  you  during  the  year  and  a  sixth  is  under  consideration  — 
and  each  new  arbitration,  each  new  treaty  shall  be  but  a  new  bond  of  amity 
between  us. 

I  am  not  sure  that  it  may  not  be  said,  it  has  at  least  been  suggested  by  some 
students  of  history,  that  we  in  Canada  owe  to  you  of  the  United  States  in  a  measure 
our  first  symptoms  of  national  life.  Your  great  revolution  caused  a  new  outlook 
on  affairs  for  all  concerned,  and  our  earliest  form  of  self-government  in  Canada, 
far  back  in  1791,  followed  hard  upon  your  own  establishment  as  a  republic.  It 
is  hard  to  trace  the  workings  of  history,  but  doubtless  your  ovm  epoch-making 
struggle,  guided  by  the  giant  minds  of  Washington,  Franklin,  Jefferson,  Hamilton, 
had  its  influence  on  the  new  Canadian  colonies  that  had  lately  passed  from  the 
possession  of  France  to  that  of  Britain.  Then  at  any  rate  were  planted  the  seeds 
of  the  broad  confederation  which  to-day  stretches  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 
Then  it  was  that  we  made  our  first  step  in  self-government,  to  be  followed  as  time 
passed,  not  without  passing  here  and  there  over  rough  ground,  by  other  steps,  which 
secured  us  the  fullest  control  of  our  ovwi  internal  affairs. 

The  difficult  question  of  fiscal  powers  was  soon  afterwards  settled  once  and  for 
all,  in  what  we  know  now  to  have  been  the  only  possible  way,  by  the  concession  of 


246  State  of  New  York 


absolute  fiscal  independence,  an  independence  which  included  of  necessity  the  right 
of  putting  the  parent  country  on  a  level  with  all  other  countries  with  respect  to 
taxation,  but  an  independence  of  which  we  have  made  use  for  a  number  of  years 
to  give  a  preference  in  our  markets  to  goods  from  the  mother  land. 

Then  came  the  crown  of  the  political  edifice,  the  confederation  of  our  scattered 
provinces,  and  then  at  last,  some  two  score  years  ago,  your  northern  neighbor  was 
fairly  started  on  its  career  as  a  nation. 

You  have  heard  somewhat  from  us  since  those  days.  Time  does  not  permit  that 
on  the  present  occasion  I  should  enter  too  much  into  detail  or  attempt  to  place  before 
you  a  complete  picture  of  the  Canada  of  to-day,  but  since  my  toast  is  "  Canada  " 
I  shall  be  pardoned  for  dwelling  for  a  moment  in  conclusion  on  what  we  are  doing 
and  intend  to  do  in  the  way  of  developing  this  wonderful  heritage  that  has  passed 
under  our  control.  For  over  twenty  years  a  great  Transcontinental  Railway  has 
bound  the  remote  East  to  the  remote  West,  and  has  been  a  great  artery  of  com- 
merce and  travel  and  enlightenment,  a  revelation  to  our  own  people  and  to  all  the 
world  of  our  wealth  of  territory  and  our  vastness  of  opportunity.  Twenty  years 
ago  we  believed  one  such  railway  the  climax  of  effort.  We  were  half  afraid  at 
what  we  had  done.  We  hardly  realized  the  strength  that  lay  in  our  boundless 
resources.  Now  we  have  changed  all  that.  Years  of  prosperous  development  have 
given  us  confidence  and  assurance.  Instead  of  being  satisfied  —  almost  more  than 
satisfied  —  with  our  Transcontinental  Railway,  we  wanted  a  second  and  a  third, 
and  trains  are  running  to-day  on  the  three  of  them.  In  a  year  or  two  the  three 
bands  of  steel,  with  innumerable  feeding  and  connecting  lines,  will  lace  our  broad 
northern  land  with  a  network  of  railways.  We  have  made  homes  for  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  settlers  from  the  old  world,  for  scores  of  thousands  of  settlers,  as  I 
have  said,  from  your  own  country.  We  have  built  populous  and  prosperous  cities 
by  the  score  on  lands  which  twenty  years  ago,  ten  years  ago,  in  some  cases  even 
five  years  ago,  were  unknown  to  any  but  the  explorer  or  the  trapper.  We  have 
made  great  seaports  on  the  Pacific  Ocean;  we  propose  now  to  make  a  seaport  in 
the  middle  of  the  continent  and  carry  our  grain  by  salt  water  from  the  wheat 
fields  to  Liverpool.  And  we  know  that  we  are  only  at  the  beginning  of  our  possi- 
bilities, that  there  is  practically  no  limit  to  what  we  may  achieve,  to  the  height  to 
which  we  may  rise,  to  the  contribution  we  may  make  to  human  happiness,  if  we 
have  but  faith  in  ourselves,  and  seek  to  accomplish  the  destiny  that  manifestly 
awaits  us.  We  can  do  nothing  of  all  this  unless  we  work  in  harmony  and  co-opera- 
tion with  yourselves,  our  great  neighbor,  whose  example  has  done  so  much  to 
stimulate  our  best  efforts.     Working  side  by  side  for  the  same  high  ideals,  inherited 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  247 


equally  from  an  ancestry  and  a  literature  in  which  we  have  a  common  interest  and 
pride,  we  cannot  fail,  each  under  the  flag  we  honor  and  love,  to  promote  the  true 
welfare  of  our  people  and  to  advance  the  happiness  of  mankind.      (Applause.) 

Governor  HuGHES  —  We  cannot  close  this  celebration  without  paying  special 
tribute  to  the  land  of  Champlain  —  the  scene  of  his  first  efforts  at  colonization, 
the  scene  of  his  first  discovery,  the  land  of  thrift  and  prosperity,  where  the  people, 
secure  in  their  new  allegiance,  still  fondly  cherish  the  traditions  of  the  past.  I 
introduce  as  representing  the  Province  of  Quebec  the  Honorable  Lomer  Gouin, 
Premier  of  Quebec. 

Toast:     "  The  Province  of  Quebec." 

Sir  Lomer  Gouin  —  It  is  always  a  pleasure  to  the  people  of  the  Province 
of  Quebec  to  visit  with  their  neighbors  of  the  adjoining  Republic,  whether  in  our 
own  country  or  in  yours.  We  are  delighted  to  have  you  visit  us,  and  we  feel 
perfectly  at  home  in  visiting  you.  In  fact,  to  listen  to  the  applause  vn^\\  which 
you  have  received  the  toast  of  the  Province  of  Quebec,  I  can  almost  imagine  that 
I  am  still  amongst  my  ovm  people  in  the  old  City  of  Champlain. 

In  the  name  of  my  fellow  citizens  I  thank  the  organizers  of  this  banquet  for  the 
delicate  compliment  they  have  paid  them  in  placing  the  name  of  the  Province  which 
I  represent  here  to-night  upon  the  list  of  toasts.  The  thought  no  doubt  occurred 
to  them,  as  well  as  to  all  of  you  who  applauded  their  sentiment,  that  there  was  an 
appropriate  place  in  this  demonstration  for  a  province  whose  territory  was  at  one 
time  comprised  in  the  vast  domain  of  New  France  founded  and  governed  by 
Champlain  three  hundred  years  ago. 

We  have  all  read  something  of  the  history  of  those  feudal  times  which  tells  of 
the  heroic  deeds  wrought  upon  the  fringes  of  ancient  empires.  The  inhabitants  of 
those  military  frontiers  prided  themselves  upon  the  part  played  by  their  respective 
localities  as  chosen  fields  of  military  conflict,  forming  as  they  did  the  periodical 
battle  grounds  of  contending  armies. 

No  other  part  of  the  American  continent,  perhaps,  recalls  those  series  of  border 
conflicts  of  olden  times  as  does  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain.  In  fact  for  more 
than  two  centuries  it  was  the  highway  for  invasions  of  every  kind,  the  theatre  of  epic 
wars  —  first  of  all  between  the  Indians  and  the  heralds  of  civilization,  then  between 
rival  European  powers  contending  for  supremacy  of  this  continent,  and  later  still, 
between  colonies  struggling  for  their  emancipation  and  independence  of  old  world 
rule.  Everything  on  these  enchanting  shores  speaks  of  an  heroic  past;  the  very 
aur  that  we  breathe  is  impregnated  with  glorious  souvenirs. 


248  State  of  New  York 


But  as  I  understand  it,  gentlemen,  these  splendid  demonstrations  in  which  we 
have  participated  have  not  been  organized  for  the  purpose  of  resounding  in  our 
ears  the  warlike  notes  of  former  combats,  so  much  as  to  commemorate  and  to  exalt 
an  entirely  pacific  exploit  —  the  discovery  by  Champlain  of  the  magnificent  lake 
which  bears  his  name. 

To  mention  Champlain  is  to  name  the  herald  of  Christian  and  French  civilization 
in  North  America;  it  is  to  name  the  father  of  the  Canadian  nation.  To  name 
Champlain  is  to  name  the  prince  of  the  pioneers  of  my  country,  the  founder  of  the 
capital  of  my  province.  Happy,  indeed  then,  am  I,  to  take  part  in  these  imposing 
demonstrations  of  honor  to  his  glorious  memory. 

France,  which  was  the  cradle  of  his  family,  honored  in  him  the  enterprising  and 
intrepid  mariner  who  hewed  for  her  a  kingdom  out  of  the  solitudes  of  the  New 
World.  Canada,  by  a  series  of  never-to-be-forgotten  fetes,  glorified  in  him,  last 
year,  the  founder  of  the  Canadian  nation.  To-day  the  great  American  Republic 
claims  him  for  one  of  her  own,  and  honors  him  for  having  been  the  first  to  explore 
Lake  Champlain  and  its  magnificent  shores.  Champlain  is  worthy  of  all  those 
honors,  of  the  homage  rendered  him  by  these  three  different  nations;  for  his  work 
belongs  to  the  world  at  large. 

The  truly  great  men  are  not  those  who  destroy,  who  sow  ruin  along  the  high- 
ways of  history,  but  are  rather  those  who  establish  and  spread  life  and  activity  in 
the  solitary  and  desert  places  of  the  earth.  Now  Champlain  was  above  all,  and 
before  all,  a  founder.  Very  far  in  the  advance  guard  of  the  pioneers  of  his  race 
he  planted  the  names  of  Christ  and  of  France  in  the  northern  part  of  this  continent 
for  the  future  harvest  of  humanity.  Looking  far  ahead  of  his  time,  he  was  not 
content  to  work  for  his  own  day  and  generation,  but  embraced  in  his  far-seeing 
vision,  and  in  his  far-reaching  plans  and  labors,  the  welfare  of  the  centuries  that 
are  yet  unborn. 

I  am  not  going  to  describe  the  career  of  Champlain.  The  orators  who  have 
preceded  me  have  eloquently  made  his  eulogy,  and  I  have  really  nothing  to  add, 
except  that  his  entire  life  and  work  may  be  summed  up  in  these  two  words:  idealism 
and  perseverance. 

An  idealist  he  was,  this  bold  sailor  and  indefatigable  discoverer,  with  his  eyes 
turned  towards  the  unknown,  the  unexplored,  the  future. 

A  persevering  soul,  Champlain  was  too,  and  beyond  all  expression!  Others 
might  exhaust  themselves  in  more  desires,  or  in  putting  forth  certain  feeble  efforts 
to  attain  their  ends;  but  he  knew  that  the  important  point  was  not  simply  to  desire 
for  one  day,  but  to  persist  every  day,  and  to  increase  in  determination  in  proportion 
to  the  difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  contend.      Active,  courageous,   inured  to 


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The  Champlain  Tercentenary  249 

suffering,  he  struggled  day  by  day  against  the  obstacles  of  all  kinds  that  surged  in 
his  way,  and,  aided  by  the  genius  of  his  patience,  attained  ultimate  success.  Never 
was  it  better  illustrated  that  the  world  belongs  to  the  persevering  and  to  those  who 
never  cease  to  press  forward  to  the  highest  and  noblest  ideals  that  can  be  set 
before  them. 

Without  doubt,  gentlemen,  the  glory  that  crowns  the  name  of  Champlain  is  the 
well-merited  recompense  of  his  works  and  of  his  virtues.  But  if  we  would  par- 
ticipate in  his  glory,  we  must  imitate  his  example.  If  we  wish  to  be  considered  his 
true  descendants  we  must  follow  the  road  he  has  traced  for  us,  and  see  to  it 
that  we  do  not  degenerate  from  his  virtues. 

Citizens  of  the  United  States:  I  shall  not  preach  idealism  and  perseverance  to 
you;  not  long  ago  an  eminent  publicist  said  of  you  that  you  "  are  always  faced 
towards  the  future,"  and  that  you  are  "  a  living  lesson  of  national  energy."  But 
as  to-day  is  a  holiday,  permit  me,  on  behalf  of  the  Province  of  Quebec  which  you 
have  so  signally  and  so  generously  honored  to-night,  as  well  as  on  my  behalf,  to 
offer  you,  Mr.  President,  and  to  all  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  our  very  best 
wishes  for  your  future  success,  prosperity  and  happiness.  May  you  always  merit 
the  flattering  compliment  so  lately  paid  you  by  the  publicist  to  whom  I  have  referred, 
and  may  you  continue  to  show  to  other  nations  new  roads  to  progress  and  to  its 
harvest  of  glory.      (Applause.) 

The  responsibility  of  the  anteprandial  arrangements  for  the  State 
banquet  rested  largely  on  Senator  James  J.  Frawley  and  Assemblyman 
James  A.  Foley  of  the  Banquet  Committee  and  members  of  the  Com- 
mission from  New  York  city.  It  was  a  stately  banquet  eminently  con- 
ducted for  such  a  diplomatic  occasion. 

The  postprandial  exercises  were  of  a  remarkably  high  order  of  literary 
merit  and  thoroughly  appreciated  by  the  four  hundred  and  fifty  guests.  At 
this  banquet  were  distinguished  speakers  officially  representing  three  great 
nations,  whose  high  ideals  and  true  grandeur  were  impressively  exemplified 
in  the  scholarly  and  eloquent  addresses  delivered  on  this  and  other  occa- 
sions during  the  celebration.  Intellectual  and  moral  culture,  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  genuine  patriotism,  pervaded  all  the  literary  exercises,  which 
abounded  in  cordial  expressions  of  amity  and  good  will.  Thus  did  the 
Champlain  Tercentenary  contribute  something  towards  universal  peace, 
"  *  *  V  g  consummation 
Devoutly  to  be  wish'd      *      *      *  " 

by  all  civilized  nations. 


VI.  AT  BURLINGTON 

251 


VI.  AT  BURLINGTON 

The  following  day,  Thursday,  July  8th,  the  scene  of  the  festivities 
shifted  to  Burlington.  This,  the  chief  city  of  Vermont,  had  for  months 
been  making  elaborate  preparations  and  had  arranged  an  independent 
programme  of  festivities  and  exercises  covering  the  entire  Champlain  week. 
The  $10,000  which  the  city  had  voted  for  the  purpose  had  been  more 
than  doubled  by  individual  subscriptions.  This  fund  was  chiefly  used 
in  decorating  the  streets  and  in  providing  prizes  for  various  amusement 
features,  including  regattas  of  several  kinds  on  the  lake,  competitive  drills 
by  uniformed  companies  of  fraternal  societies,  band  concerts,  athletic 
sports,  and  other  diversions.  The  citizens  with  great  zeal  shared  in  the 
preparations.  By  day  the  business  streets  and  principal  residences  were 
beautifully  draped  with  flags  and  bunting,  by  night  the  town  was  ablaze 
with  the  most  elaborate  installation  of  electric  lighting  ever  attempted  in 
the  region.  Some  25,000  electric  lights  were  installed  by  one  con- 
tracting company,  along  the  principal  streets.  Most  attractive  of  all 
were  the  natural  beauties  of  Burlington's  shaded  thoroughfares  and 
pleasant  homes,  set  amid  well  kept  grounds. 

The  local  programme  was  adapted  to  the  general  programme  of  the 
joint  Champlain  Commissions.  By  this  arrangement  Sunday,  July  4th, 
was  generally  observed  in  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  churches 
and  especially,  as  has  been  noted,  with  open-air  vespers  services  at  4 
o'clock. 

Monday  was  really  the  Independence  Day  celebration,  its  features 
including  decorated  automobile  parades,  airship  ascensions,  military  and 
civic  parades  with  floats  and  review  of  troops,  band  concerts,  races  and 
fireworks.  Tuesday,  July  6th,  was  almost  as  generally  observed  as  a 
holiday,  being  devoted  to  the  celebration  of  French  societies.  A  grand 
street  parade  of  local  and  visiting  organizations  was  reviewed  by  Mayor 

253 


254  State  of  New  York 

Burke  and  the  Board  of  Aldermen.  Sports,  band  concerts,  and  an  illumi- 
nated boat  parade  followed  by  fireworks  filled  out  the  day. 

Much  interest  was  taken  on  this  day  in  the  Tercentenary  regatta,  the 
programme  of  races  being  carried  out  under  the  auspices  of  the  Lake 
Champlain  Yacht  Club  with  $1,600  in  prize  cups.  Contests  included 
competition  for  open  motor  boats  of  various  classes,  for  cabin  cruisers  and 
other  cabin  boats,  and  two  classes  of  sailing  races  for  sail  yachts.  There 
were  also  rowing,  canoe,  swimming  and  other  contests. 

Wednesday,  the  7th,  was  called  Patriotic  and  Fraternal  Society  Day. 
The  main  feature  of  its  observance  was  a  great  parade  of  fraternal 
organizations  with  floats  followed  by  a  competitive  drill. 

Thursday,  the  8th  of  July,  was  designated  as  President's  Day,  and  on 
this  day  the  exercises  formed  a  part  of  the  general  programme  arranged 
by  the  Champlain  Commissions.  Tlie  President  of  the  United  States, 
the  foreign  ambassadors  and  other  official  guests  arrived  by  boat  at  10 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  They  were  met  at  the  wharf  by  the  Vermont 
division  of  the  National  Guard,  Col.  J.  Grey  Esly  commanding,  and 
were  escorted  to  City  Hall  Park  where  literary  exercises  were  held,  over 
which  Governor  Prouty,  chairman  of  the  Vermont  Champlain  Com- 
mission, presided. 

It  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  scenes  which  had  been  presented  to 
the  distinguished  guests  during  the  entire  celebration.  The  little  park  in 
which  the  exercises  took  place  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  buildmgs. 
Burlington  claims  only  about  20,000  inhabitants,  but  during  the  speaking 
probably  twice  that  number  were  gathered  in  the  park  enclosure,  which 
seemed  like  a  great  hall  without  a  roof.  Everywhere  shaded  by  the 
beautiful  elms,  which  are  a  source  of  pride  to  Burlington,  the  scene 
was  enlivened  by  the  color  of  some  fifty  great  American  flags  hung  from 
wires  stretched  from  tree  to  tree. 

The  appearance  on  the  platform  of  one  quickly  recognized  guest  after 
another  was  the  signal  for  repeated  applause.  When  the  President 
ascended  the  steps  the  entire  throng  seemed  to  join  in  cheers  of  greeting, 
to  which  with  manifest  pleasure  he  responded  with  many  bows  and 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  255 

smiles.  The  presence  here  of  the  Canadian  Governor-Generars  Foot 
Guards  in  their  brilliant  uniform  was  to  many  of  the  rural  people  a  great 
novelty  and  gave  a  pleasant  international  character  to  the  occasion. 
Nowhere  else  had  there  been  more  manifest  a  genuine  spirit  of  comrade- 
ship and  good-fellowship.  When  order  was  secured  and  the  many 
bands  of  music  had  been  hushed,  the  President's  impromptu  reception 
on  the  grandstand  was  brought  to  a  close,  and  Gov.  Prouty  introduced 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Arthur  C.  A.  Hall,  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Diocese  of  Vermont,  who  pronounced  an  invocation. 

After  a  happy  introduction  and  welcome  to  all,  distinguished  guests 
and  townspeople  alike,  the  Governor  concluded  in  these  words: 

Vermont's  Official  Welcome:     Governor  Prouty 

I  now,  on  behalf  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  welcome  our  most  distinguished 
citizen,  the  President  of  the  United  States.  (Long  continued  applause.)  I  thank 
you,  ladies  and  gentlemen.  That  is  better  than  anything  I  can  say,  but  it  is 
extremely  fitting  that  our  President  should  come  back  to  the  home  of  his  fore- 
fathers, and  we  welcome  him  as  at  least  part  a  Vermonter.  We  appreciate  the 
distinguished  honor  which  you  have  done  us,  Mr.  President,  and  I  can  assure  you, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  it  is  only  because  the  President  is  anxious  to  be  with 
us  that  he  is  here,  for  I  am  sure  he  has  been  called  away,  but  has  refused  to 
go.     We  ought  therefore  lo  appreciate  his  presence.      (Applause.) 

To  the  representative  of  the  French  Government,  I  wish  to  extend  a  cordial 
greeting  (applause),  and  to  extend  to  him  the  thanks  of  this  State  for  coming  here 
at  this  time  to  represent  that  nation  that  has  been  so  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  history  of  the  State,  the  nation  which  produced  this  great  discoverer,  Samuel 
Champlain,  that  we  come  here  to  honor  to-day.  And  to  the  British  Ambassador 
I  wish  to  extend  my  thanks  and  a  welcome  from  the  State  of  Vermont  (applause), 
thanks  for  his  presence,  and  to  his  government  for  having  sent  to  us  such  a  dis- 
tinguished gentleman  as  Ambassador  Bryce. 

And  to  those  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  have  come  to  us  from  our  near  neighbor, 
Canada,  the  neighbor  that  we  have  all  learned  to  love  and  respect,  I  say  I  thank 
you.  We  welcome  you  most  cordially  to  the  State.  We  do  it  because  we  are 
neighbors  and  because  we  want  to  become  better  acquainted.      (Applause.) 

I  am  not  going  to  detain  you  longer,  because  I  know  you  want  to  hear  somebody 
else,  but  it  is  fitting  at  this  time  that  the  City  of  Burlington  should  extend  a  welcome. 


256  State  of  New  York 


and  because  of  that  I  am  going  to  ask  Mayor  Burke  for  a  moment  to  give  a  wel- 
come to  our  guests  —  Mayor  Burke.      (Applause.) 

Burlington's  Welcome:     Mayor  Burke 

Mayor  BurkE  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  This  certainly  is  a  most  magnificent 
thing  to  witness  from  this  platform  here  to-day,  this  large  assemblage  of  people, 
but  I  want  to  say  to  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  no  matter  if  it  was  a  hundred,  yea, 
a  thousand  times  larger,  it  would  be  only  in  keeping  with  the  event  and  the  persons 
we  have  present  with  us  here  to-day  as  our  guests.  To  me  has  been  assigned  the 
pleasant  duty  to  extend  a  hearty  welcome  to  our  guests  and  the  people  assembled 
here  to-day,  and  I  want  to  say,  representing,  as  I  do,  the  people  of  the  city  of 
Burlington,  that  to  you,  Mr.  President,  our  most  worthy  ruler,  I  do  on  their  behalf, 
extend  to  you  a  most  cordial  greeting  and  welcome  you  to  the  foremost  city  of  the 
State.  (Applause.)  And  also  to  you,  representatives  of  other  governments, 
who  have  seen  fit  to  honor  us  and  grace  us  with  your  presence  I  also  extend  a 
cordial  welcome  on  this  occasion.  And  to  all  other  guests  here,  no  matter  from 
where  they  come,  I  extend  this  cordial  welcome.  And  to  you,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, I  also  extend,  in  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Burlington,  a  cordial  welcome  to 
our  city  on  this  occasion. 

The  last  300  years  represent  a  period  of  discovery,  conquest  and  development. 
On  the  fourth  day  of  July,  1  609,  the  great  Champlain  discovered  what  I  believe 
to  be  the  most  beautiful  body  of  water  whose  ripples  in  response  to  the  gentle  breeze 
were  ever  kissed  by  the  sun-light.  The  importance  of  the  discovery  of  these  beautiful 
waters  is  considered  of  so  much  importance  that  our  own  dear  Vermont,  and  the 
great  Empire  State  across  the  water,  have  seen  fit  to  join  together  and  help  cele- 
brate the  anniversary  of  this  great  event  in  a  befitting  manner. 

Three  hundred  years  ago  the  only  craft  that  appeared  upon  these  beautiful 
waters  was  the  Indian  canoe.  To-day  floating  palaces  have  supplanted  the  canoe 
of  the  Indian;  to-day  along  these  beautiful  shores,  beautiful  cities  and  villages  have 
supplanted  the  camping  ground  and  the  wigwam  of  the  Indian.  To-day,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  a  high  state  of  civilization  tempered  by  uplifting  Christianity  has 
taken  the  place  of  the  barbarous  custom  and  lives  of  the  Indian,  and  speaking 
from  a  broader  sense,  as  it  affects  our  Government  at  large  I  want  to  say,  and  I 
think  I  have  a  right  to  say  it  along  the  lines  of  development,  to-day  this  great  nation 
stands  without  a  peer  among  the  nations  of  the  world  in  all  those  things  which  make 
a  nation  great.  (Applause.)  Is  it  any  wonder  then,  when  we  stop  to  contem- 
plate this  great  progress  and  development  made  during  the  last  300  years,  that 
we  should  assemble  here  together,  to  help  celebrate  in  a  fitting  manner  that  great 


By  coiiitesy  of  the  \'>  rinunt  Commission 

President  Taft,  Governor  Prouty.  Ambassadors  Jusserand  and  Bryce,   Governor  Hughes,  Admiral  Uriu  and 

Hon.  Selh  Low 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  257 


event?  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  this  progress  and  development  during  the 
last  300  years  has  been  of  material  benefit,  not  only  to  the  people  of  this  country, 
but  the  whole  world,  I  believe  that  our  mission  is  only  just  begun ;  I  believe  that 
while  notwithstandmg  the  fact  that  the  past  is  bright  in  achievements  of  this  country, 
I  believe  the  future  is  to  be  brighter  yet;  I  believe  that  the  destiny  of  this  great 
nation  of  ours  is  to  continue  on  and  lead  in  the  achievements  of  those  great  things 
which  make  for  the  material  advancement  and  the  uplifting  of  the  human  race  of 
the  whole  world.      (Applause.) 

Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  speaking  from  a  local  standpoint,  I  want  to  call 
your  attention  to  a  certain  project  which  I  believe  means  much  to  this  section  of  the 
country.  It  is  no  other  than  the  deep  waterway  project.  I  believe  that  is  to  come, 
and  I  believe  it  is  my  duty  and  that  I  have  a  right  to  take  the  opportunity  that 
presents  itself  to  me  from  this  platform  to-day  to  just  say  a  word  in  regard  to  that 
great  project.  That  great  project  means  much  to  this  section  of  the  country,  and 
while  the  benefits  may  be  of  a  different  nature,  there  is  one  particularly  that  I  wish 
to  speak  of  to-day,  and  it  is  this:  by  the  completion  of  that  great  project  it  will 
have  as  one  of  the  benefits  derived  —  the  connecting  of  the  metropolis  of  our 
friends  to  the  north,  Canada,  with  the  great  metropolis  of  the  United  States,  New 
York  City;  and  one  of  the  results  will  be  that  it  will  have  a  tendency  to  further 
strengthen  those  ties  which  bind  us  to  the  people  across  the  line.  What  do  we  see 
to-day?  We  see  to-day  soldiers  of  England,  and  soldiers  of  the  United  States 
marching  side  by  side  in  our  streets.  It  means  much,  and  why?  Simply  because 
in  days  gone  by  the  predecessors  of  those  very  men  have  met  on  many  a  field  in 
the  past  in  deadly  conflict.  To-day  they  march  side  by  side  as  friends,  a  condition 
which  I  hope  and  believe  is  to  last  for  all  time.  (Applause.)  It  is  only  a  few 
short  years  ago  on  a  similar  occasion  —  when  the  news  flashed  over  the  wire,  giving 
an  account  of  the  great  Dewey  victory  in  Manila  Bay  —  that  the  predecessors  of 
these  same  soldiers  were  here  as  our  guests,  and  I  want  to  say  to  you  that  no 
cheers  were  given  on  that  day  any  louder  in  honor  of  the  great  victory  than  were 
given  by  guests  from  across  the  line.      (Applause.) 

I  told  you  a  few  moments  ago  that  I  believed  I  had  a  right  to  take  advantage 
of  the  opportunity  that  presented  itself  to  me  to-day,  and  I  am  going  to  do  it  in 
this  way.  I  have  already  extended  a  welcome  to  each  and  every  one  of  you.  I 
am  going  to  repeat  it,  and  I  want  to  say  to  you,  Mr.  President,  and  you  representa- 
tives of  the  different  countries  and  invited  guests,  I  invite  you  now  to  be  once  again 
our  guests  when  we  will  again  assemble  here,  to  help  celebrate  that  great  event,  the 
making  of  these  beautiful  waters  the  connecting  link  in  this  great  deep  waterway 
project,  at  a  time  which  I  hope  will  not  be  in  the  far  distant  future,  but  on  or  before 
18 


258  State  of  New  York 


the  year  1919.  Ladies  and  gentlemen.  I  think  I  have  said  enough.  I  would  like 
to  talk  on  and  on,  but  it  will  not  do;  there  are  others  here;  but  there  is  one  other 
thing  that  I  want  to  say.  I  have  already  given  you  a  cordial  and  hearty  welcome. 
I  want  to  say  in  closing,  enjoy  yourselves  while  you  are  here  to  the  fullest  extent. 
I  extend  to  you  the  freedom  of  the  city,  and  I  hope  that  each  and  every  one,  and 
you,  Mr.  President  and  representatives  of  foreign  governments  and  invited  guests,  I 
hope  that  when  you  leave  this  city  and  go  to  your  homes,  you  will  carry  with  you 
nothing  but  pleasant  remembrances  of  your  visit  to  the  foremost  city  of  the  State. 
(Applause.) 

Governor  ProutY  —  Possibly  you  noticed  that  when  I  was  extending  a  wel- 
come to  the  various  people  here  that  there  was  one  notable  omission.  That  was  not 
entirely  carelessness;  it  was  somewhat  premeditated,  because  for  the  last  three  days 
it  has  been  my  privilege  to  assist  in  the  celebration  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
I  want  to  say  just  a  word  for  the  State  of  New  York.  I  want  to  say  to  you, 
citizens  of  Vermont,  that  it  would  not  have  been  possible  for  the  State  of  Vermont 
to  have  a  celebration  like  this  if  we  had  not  received  the  assistance  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  It  is  true  that  the  idea  of  this  celebration  was  conceived  in  this  State, 
as  everything  else  good  is.  But  the  assistance  of  the  great  Empire  State  was  neces- 
sary in  order  that  we  might  carry  out  that  idea  to  the  full  extent,  and  I  wish  now 
to  extend  to  the  State  of  New  York  and  its  Commission  the  heartfelt  thanks  of 
the  citizens  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  and  of  the  Vermont  Commission,  for  all 
they  have  done  for  us  in  the  way  of  helping  us  in  this  celebration.  I  can  assure 
you  that  it  is  a  great  thing  that  they  should  have  done  this  and  we  appreciate  it. 
Now,  there  is  another  thing;  there  is  a  gentleman  over  in  the  State  of  New  York 
that  is  pretty  well  known  there  and  he  has  been  holding  me  up  every  day  until 
after  he  had  a  chance  to  make  his  speech,  and  you  can  understand  just  how  I  felt 
when,  after  he  had  finished,  they  called  on  me.  He  said  yesterday  that  he  had 
been  made  the  burnt  offering  and  he  is  going  to  be  made  the  burnt  offering  to-day. 
He  talked  a  good  deal  about  Ethan  Allen  and  Seth  Warner  and  Remember  Baker, 
and  from  what  he  said  I  thought  he  wanted  to  call  them  New  Yorkers,  but  he  did 
not  dare  go  quite  as  far  as  that. 

Now.  my  friends,  I  want  to  introduce  to  you,  as  the  representative  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  a  gentleman  whom  I  am  sure  you  wall  all  be  pleased  to  see  here 
to-day.  He  said  that  after  he  left  New  York  that  he  should  tread  softly.  I  say 
to  you  that  after  he  has  received  your  greetings  he  won't  be  able  to  "  tread  softly," 
he  will  be  so  puffed  up,  and  without  any  further  remarks,  I  wish  to  present  to  you. 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  Governor  of  New  York.      (Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  259 


Governor  Hughes  at  Burlington 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Mr.  President,  Governor  Prouly,  Ambassadors,  Dh- 
tingu'ished  Cuesls,  Fellorv  Citizens  of  the  United  States:  It  is  impossible  for  any  of 
you  to  know  with  what  emotion  a  New  Yorker  finds  himself  upon  Vermont  soil. 
It  is  impossible  for  you  to  understand  how  warmly  appreciated  is  the  greeting  that 
you  have  given  to  your  dearest  foe.  (Laughter.)  And  now  lest  I  be  misunder- 
stood, I  want  to  say  at  the  outset,  that  on  behalf  of  New  York,  personally  and 
officially  and  in  any  other  way  that  you  may  suggest,  I  admit  it  all.  If  there  is 
any  son  of  Vermont  who  can  step  upon  this  platform  and  adequately  portray  the 
services  that  you  have  rendered  to  the  cause  of  liberty  and  to  the  maintenance  of  our 
unity,  if  there  is  any  one  favored  with  the  benedictions  of  these  hills  who  can  stand 
before  you  and  tell  truthfully  of  your  virtues  and  just  renown,  then  I  will  say  to 
him,  to  all  I  agree;  and  I  wish  that  I  had  the  power  of  language  and  the  skill  of 
rhetoric  to  tell  what  is  in  my  heart  of  love  and  affection,  and  what  is  in  my  mind 
of  respect  and  just  esteem,  for  the  people  of  the  Green  Mountains.  A  little  boy 
who  was  seen  walking  with  a  man  was  asked  whether  he  was  related  to  him. 
"  Well,"  he  said,  "  we  are  distantly  related ;  he  was  my  mother's  first  child  and  I 
was  the  seventeenth."  (Applause  and  laughter.)  New  York  and  Vermont  are 
somewhat  more  closely  related,  and  they  are  walking  together  in  a  fellowship  which 
they  understand  and  the  value  of  which  they  appreciate.  It  is  true  that  we  looked 
with  jealous  eye  upon  this  beautiful  country.  We  did  not  covet  it,  at  least  con- 
sciously, because  we  believed  it  to  be  our  ovsti.  We  wanted  it.  We  parted  with 
it  sadly.  We  looked  longingly  to  the  New  Hampshire  grants,  but  we  realize  in 
these  days  of  charming  unity  of  sentiment  that  "  it  is  better  to  have  loved  and  lost 
than  not  to  have  loved  at  all."      (Laughter  and  applause.) 

Now,  I  am  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  born  over  here,  hard  by  the 
scene  of  bloody  strife  —  in  old  Glens  Falls.  I  belong  to  this  highway,  and  I  have 
cherished  from  my  earliest  memory,  the  stories  that  are  connected  with  this  beautiful 
valley.  I  am  a  son  of  New  York  in  every  sense,  and  I  rejoice  in  the  resources  and 
power  of  the  Empire  State,  but  I  also  recognize  what  you  have  in  Vermont  in  that 
inborn  love  of  liberty,  without  which  our  prosperity  becomes  a  mockery.  Here 
among  the  Green  Mountains,  are  those  who  will  never  forget  what  independence 
means.  Now,  your  great  Governor  is  not  going  to  deprive  me  by  unfortunate 
prevision  of  the  right  to  talk  about  Ethan  Allen  here  or  anywhere  else.  And  if  I 
choose  to  speak  of  Seth  Warner  and  Remember  Baker,  I  am  going  to  do  it.  I 
have  been  doing  it  more  or  less  for  three  days,  not  only  because  I  hold  those 
eminent  men  in  high  honor,  but  because  I  have  thought  he  would  appreciate  the 


260  State  of  New  York 


reference.  What  was  more  distinguished  in  the  career  of  Ethan  Allen  than  his 
capture  of  Ticonderoga  was  the  fact  that  he  was  a  home  ruler.  He  was  not  a 
Vermonter.  He  came  to  Vermont  and  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  settlers;  and 
while  he  espoused  that  cause  against  New  York,  he  espoused  it  in  defense  of  a 
fundamental  principle  which  has  made  you  strong  and  all  New  England  strong,  and 
we  must  hold  tenaciously  to  it  in  New  York  if  we  are  to  maintain  our  strength 
(applause) ,  the  principle  that  those  who  live  in  a  community  shall  have  the  right, 
so  far  as  the  local  concerns  of  that  community  go,  to  determine  their  own  destiny. 
(Applause.)  Ethan  Allen  took  up  the  cause  of  independence  with  an  assurance 
which  reduced  the  commander  of  the  little  garrison  at  Ticonderoga  to  instant 
humiliation.  He  never  lost  his  spirit.  While  it  may  offend  Vermonters  to  recall 
the  circumstances,  he  once  went  dov/n  to  Albany  when  a  proclamation  had  been 
made  for  his  arrest  and  took  a  drink  in  the  presence  of  the  officials  of  the  State 
(laughter  and  applause),  just  to  show  that  he  was  unafraid  and  full  of  daring. 
Well,  the  bottom  thing  with  him  was  that  he  wanted  the  people  of  these  mountains 
to  do  what  they  thought  was  necessary  in  the  resistance  of  what  he  believed  to  be 
tyranny,  just  as  he  had  aided  the  colonies  in  opposition  to  what  they  believed  to  be 
unjust  exaction  on  the  part  of  the  mother  country;  and  he  was  repeating  for  Ver- 
mont, on  a  small  scale  and  of  course  with  varying  circumstances,  something  of  the 
drama  which  had  been  enacted  on  the  large  scale  upon  the  stage  of  the  Revolutionary 
War. 

Now,  my  friends,  as  I  said  to  New  Yorkers  and  to  some  Vermonters  last  night, 
this  celebration  is  of  national  significance,  and  we  are  to-day  more  conscious  of  our 
unity  as  a  people,  more  intent  upon  carrying  forward  with  prosperity  and  justice 
our  national  interests  than  upon  anything  else  in  the  world.  Even  you  proud  Ver- 
monters forget  Vermont  when  you  think  of  the  United  States.  (Applause.)  And 
were  the  flag  of  our  common  country  ever  to  go  in  advance  of  armies  of  defense, 
those  armies  would  be  filled,  as  of  yore,  with  Green  Mountain  boys,  side  by  side 
with  the  sons  of  the  Empire  State,  knowing  no  distinction  in  their  patriotism. 
(Applause.)  But  while  we  cannot  too  strongly  emphasize  our  national  unity,  and 
desire  our  national  growth,  and  are  most  solicitous  that  all  powers  necessary  for 
national  prosperity  should  be  exercised  by  a  strong  central  government,  we  realize 
that  the  great  success  of  the  administration  of  our  political  affairs  has  been  due  to 
the  fortunate  division,  which  has  given  us  local  governments,  which  we  desire  to 
have  within  their  proper  domain  equally  strong  and  equally  efficient  as  that,  within 
its  domain,  of  the  Federal  Government  itself.     (Applause.) 

And  to-day  we  have  not  the  rivalry  of  contests  over  territory.  We  are  glad  that 
you  got  your  Hampshire  grants.     We  are  glad  that  you  own  this  fair  land.      I 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  261 

assure  you,  as  one  having  knowledge,  that  proud  as  we  are  of  New  York,  we  are 
conscious  we  have  got  all  we  can  attend  to.  We  could  not  deal  with  any  more 
than  we  have,  and  we  have  a  few,  perhaps,  to  spare,  and  with  the  greatest  city  in 
the  United  States,  we  have  problems  of  a  sort  which  fortunately  do  not  vex  your 
politics.  But,  as  I  say,  we  realize  that  in  the  future  our  rivalry  is  to  be  a  rivalry  of 
State  efficiency.     (Applause.) 

One  of  the  finest  things  that  has  been  done  in  recent  years  was  the  calling 
together  of  the  conference  of  Governors.  It  is  of  great  importance  that  those  who, 
by  popular  election,  represent  the  entire  people  of  their  respective  States,  should 
come  together  for  conference  in  order  that  they  may  learn  what  has  been  wisely 
done  in  other  jurisdictions,  what  experiments  have  failed,  what  have  succeeded,  and 
that  by  fair  comparison  they  may  take  advantage  of  the  extraordinary  scale  of 
experience  which  is  being  afforded  throughout  our  various  States.  And,  therefore, 
citizens  of  Vermont,  I  am  glad  that  we  have  an  event  which  we  now  celebrate  in 
common,  and  one  that  is  back  far  enough  to  antedate  any  difference.  We  go  back 
there  on  this  day  of  happy  celebration,  and  then  we  jump  all  the  intervening  time, 
and  we  forget  everything  that  has  divided  the  children  of  these  favored  communities. 
We  look  forward  to  friendly  competition  in  good  government,  with  intense  desire  to 
make  use  of  our  State  facilities  in  order  to  promote  the  real  interest  and  happiness 
of  our  respective  peoples,  realizing  that  by  doing  so  we  buttress  the  foundations  of 
the  Union  and  prepare  ourselves  better  to  do  our  duty  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States  of  America.     (Applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  We  are  exceedingly 
fortunate  in  some  things,  and  we  are  exceedingly  fortunate  in  having  the 
gentleman  with  us  who  will  speak  to  us  next,  because  his  arrangements 
were  all  made  to  have  sailed  for  France  to-day,  as  I  understand  it,  and 
because  of  this  celebration,  because  of  his  desire  to  be  with  us,  and  to 
show  us  that  his  country  wished  to  participate  in  this  and  that  they  appre- 
ciate the  honor  that  we  are  doing  to  that  great  Frenchman,  Samuel 
Champlain,  he  consented  to  remain  over.  No  one  could  be  here  that  we 
should  do  more  honor  to  than  to  him,  because  France  has  been  our  tra- 
ditional friend,  friend  at  all  times.  Therefore,  it  is  with  great  pleasure 
that  I  welcome  Ambassador  Jusserand  to-day  and  present  him  to  you. 
(Great  applause.) 


262  State  of  New  York 


The  Ambassador  of  France  at  Burlington 

Ambassador  JussERAND  —  Mr.  President,  Your  Excellencies,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen:  Before  I  saw  the  beautiful  lake  which  stretches  beyond  your  city,  I 
had  read  a  description  of  it,  and  that  description  gave  an  account  of  the  bluest  and 
finest  sheet  of  water,  and  of  the  bluest  sky.  It  told  of  the  mountains  around  it,  it 
told  of  the  chestnuts,  the  pines,  and  all  sorts  of  fine  trees;  it  told  even  the  beauty  of 
the  fishes  in  the  water.  That  was  a  thoroughly  complete  description,  and  that 
description  I  read  in  the  works  of  Samuel  de  Champlain.  He  was  a  good 
observer,  and  his  account,  the  first  ever  penned,  gives  a  very  exact  idea  of  the  lake 
whose  waters  wash  on  one  side  New  York  and  on  the  other  Vermont.  I  am  very 
happy  to  meet  you,  and  I  wish  Samuel  de  Champlain  had  been  able  to  describe 
not  only  the  trees,  the  mountains,  and  the  fishes,  but,  if  it  had  been  possible,  this 
very  assembly.  He  would  have  had  to  describe  something  handsomer  than  he  ever 
saw  in  his  day.  I  have  just  come  from  the  West.  I  was  recently  in  Portland, 
Oregon,  and  I  saw  there  a  square  full  of  roses;  when  I  walked  onto  this  platform, 
your  assembly  reminded  me  of  that  square.     (Applause.) 

As  a  representative  of  France,  I  have  several  reasons  to  be  happy  and  proud  to 
address  you.  If  France  was  not  the  mother  of  Vermont,  France  was  surely  the 
godmother  of  Vermont;  such  a  name  cannot  have  been  given  save  by  French 
people,  to  the  land  of  green  mountains.  And  there  is  another  thing  which  makes 
Vermont  very  dear  to  France.  As  you  know,  France  had  a  feeling  for  the  thirteen 
States,  and  France  wished  for  their  welfare  and  increase.  The  first  example  of  the 
increase  of  the  old  thirteen  was  given  by  Vermont,  which  formed  the  fourteenth. 
This  was  a  great  thing,  and  a  mighty  good  example.  The  example  given  by  Ver- 
mont has  been  followed;  it  has  been  very  recently  by  Oklahoma.  You  did  it  first, 
and  thirty-four  other  States  imitated  your  example.  This  I  consider  a  magnificent 
following  of  what  you  did.     (Applause.) 

The  souvenir  of  France  remains  visible  in  many  places  on  this  continent.  Your 
name  is  French,  and  many  others  along  the  great  road  that  leads  to  Seattle,  names 
of  rivers,  of  states,  of  cities,  of  Indian  tribes,  are  French  names,  those  very  scattered 
so  far  inland  recalling  the  pluck  and  energy  of  the  ancestors  who  first  visited  those 
parts;  such  ancestors  were  better  sowers  than  reapers.  They  sowed  broadcast  and 
far  and  the  harvest  was  not  always  theirs.  But  sowing  is  a  praiseworthy  deed,  and 
those  who  performed  it  deserve  gratitude.  I  cannot  say,  however,  that  France, 
while  she  was  such  a  good  sower,  was  not  also  a  reaper,  for  there  is  one  thing 
France  considers  she  has  garnered,  and  she  attaches  more  importance  to  it  than  to 
the  possession  of  many  more  tangible  harvests,  and  that  is  American  friendship. 
(Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  263 


Ladies  and  gentlemen,  you  know,  I  am  sure,  if  not  by  personal  experience,  at 
least  by  hearsay,  what  an  ambassador  is.  An  ambassador  is  a  man  whose  duty, 
whose  trade,  is  to  smooth  away  difficuhies;  and  an  ambassador,  like  various  other 
sorts  of  laborers,  is  never  so  happy  as  when  he  has  nothing  to  do.  I  am  for  this 
cause  grateful  to  your  State,  for  it  is  a  fact  that  in  the  relations  between  France 
and  Vermont  everything  is  very  satisfactory.  (Laughter.)  I  see  no  difficulties 
looming  forth,  and  if  ever,  which  heaven  forbid,  there  were  any,  I  am  sure  the 
French  Ambassador,  whoever  he  might  be,  would  have  no  difficulty  in  smoothing 
away  troubles  arising  between  the  land  of  "  Liberty,  Equality,  Fraternity,"  and  the 
State  of  "  Freedom  and  Unity."     (Applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  —  In  the  past  we  have  had  some  trouble  with  our 
mother  country,  but  she  is  our  mother  country  and  we  love  her  for  it. 
Therefore,  we  are  extremely  pleased  to-day  that  she  should  have  sent  so 
distinguished  a  representative  here  on  this  occasion,  one  who  has  shown 
himself  to  be  so  familiar  with  our  institutions;  and  it  is  with  great  pleasure 
that  I  present  at  this  time  Ambassador  Bryce  of  Great  Britain. 

The  British  Ambassador  at  Burlington 

Ambassador  Bryce  —  Mr.  Governor,  Mr.  President,  Citizens  of  Vermont, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  You  are  met  to-day  to  commemorate  in  Vermont  a  great 
event,  which  it  is  fitting  that  you  should  commemorate  —  the  discovery  three  cen- 
turies ago  of  that  noble  lake  which  forms  the  western  boundary  of  your  State,  and 
is  one  of  its  greatest  charms.  When  we  think  of  what  this  region  was  300  years 
ago,  one  can  hardly  believe  that  such  great  changes  can  have  passed  in  so  short  a 
time.  Short  it  is,  if  one  compares  three  centuries  with  the  long  ages  that  it  took  to 
effect  similar  changes  in  the  countries  of  the  Old  World.  In  I  609  this  place  here 
where  we  stand  was  in  the  midst  of  a  solemn  and  awe-inspiring  wilderness.  What 
daring  it  must  have  needed  to  explore  those  vast  and  solitary  forests  —  solitary 
because  the  Indian  tribes,  always  at  war  with  one  another,  had  desolated  them  by 
continual  strife,  leaving  hardly  a  man  alive  through  enormous  tracts,  and  how  bold  a 
spirit  must  that  have  been  of  the  men  who  in  their  frail  canoes,  along  long  stretches 
of  rivers  and  lakes,  venturing  through  dangerous  rapids,  following  difficult  trails 
through  dark  woods  with  no  guide  except  the  Indians,  on  whom  they  could  not 
always  rely,  woods  filled  wnth  wild  beasts  and  with  wild  tribes  more  dangerous  than 
any  beasts,  what  hearts  of  steel  the  men  must  have  had  that  could  have  made  those 
discoveries,  the  fruits  of  which  we  now  enjoy.  They  came  far  away  from  all  hope 
of  succor. 


264  State  of  New  York 


When  Champlain  first  guided  his  canoe  over  the  shining  waters  of  your  lake, 
there  was  no  European  settlement  nearer  this  spot  than  the  little  English  colony 
planted  two  years  before  on  the  James  river  in  Virginia,  and  I  venture  to  say  that 
Champlain  did  not  wish  that  the  English  were  any  nearer.  (Applause.)  This  was 
just  the  year,  1 609,  when  Henry  Hudson  first  steered  his  bark  up  the  waters  of 
that  Hudson  river,  with  which  you  are  now  connected  by  navigation.  And  if 
Hudson  had  gone  north  through  the  woods  from  Albany  and  Champlain  had  moved 
south  through  the  woods  from  the  southern  end  of  the  lake,  they  might  have  met  — 
let  us  hope  they  would  have  met  —  in  friendship,  because  both  were  worthy  of  one 
another,  for  both  had  the  true  spirit  that  nerves  the  courage  of  the  explorer. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  men  who  discovered  and  explored  the  continent  of 
North  and  South  America,  made  a  wonderful  line.  If  you  begin  v^ath  Christopher 
Columbus  and  go  on  to  a  man  who  seems  to  me  in  some  ways  quite  as  great,  both 
in  his  nautical  skill  and  in  his  courage,  as  Christopher  Columbus  himself  —  the 
Portuguese  Magellan  —  and  if  you  follow  that  line  through  Cabot,  Vasco  Nunez  de 
Balboa,  the  discoverer  of  the  Pacific,  and  De  Soto,  who  first  reached  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  Cortez  and  Pizarro  and  the  great  Frenchmen  Cartier  and  La  Salle  and 
Champlain,  you  have  a  line  of  daring  and  gallant  men  to  whom  the  history  of  the 
world  forms  no  parallel.  And  among  all  those  Samuel  de  Champlain  was  not  only 
one  of  the  ablest  but  also  one  of  the  best.  He  was  equally  skillful  by  sea  and  by 
land.  He  knew  not  only  how  to  discover,  but  also  how  to  govern  his  colony  of 
Quebec.  He  was  able  to  describe  with  wonderful  accuracy,  the  places  which  he 
visited.  The  French  Ambassador  has  told  you  how  well  he  narrated  the  events  of 
his  voyage  here,  and  described  the  features  of  this  lake;  and  the  people  of  Mount 
Desert  Island  will  tell  you  that  the  accounts  he  gives  of  their  shores  are  so  accurate 
that  you  may  still  navigate  parts  of  that  coast  by  the  description  he  gave  of  the  coast 
line  and  its  fringing  isles.  He  was  ready  to  fight  when  the  time  came  for  fighting. 
He  inspired  confidence  in  his  followers,  and  he  was  also  kind  and  considerate  to  his 
followers  —  more  considerate  of  his  followers  than  was  the  great  La  Salle.  And 
he  thought  first  of  France  and  of  the  faith  which  he  came  to  propagate,  and  last  of 
himself.  Samuel  de  Champlain  was  what  we  call  and  what  you  call,  take  him  all 
around,  a  fine  fellow.  He  was  a  man  of  whom  his  country  might  be  proud  and  of 
whom  you  may  be  glad  that  your  lake  shall  bear  his  name.  (Applause.)  I  like 
to  picture  him  sailing  up  the  long  stretches  of  that  river  and  coming  out  upon  a 
summer  evening  upon  the  glittering  waters  of  your  lake,  seeing  it  stretch  further  to 
the  south  than  the  eye  could  reach,  with,  on  each  side,  these  deep  waters  and  above 
them  the  long  lines  of  blue  mountains,  which  now  enshrine,  like  a  choice  picture, 
the  beauties  of  this  inland  sea.     The  name  of  your  lake  in  Indian  is  "  Caniaderi- 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  265 


guaninte."  Now  "  Caniaderi-guarunte  "  means,  in  the  Indian  language,  "  the 
gate  of  the  country,"  the  opening  by  which  men  can  pass  north  and  south  through 
this  country  in  every  other  part  of  which  the  basin  of  the  St.  Lawrence  is  divided 
from  the  basin  of  the  Hudson  and  the  Connecticut  by  lofty  mountains  and  what 
were  then  impassable  forests.  It  is  a  noble  natural  highway  for  commerce,  and 
what  hope  for  dominion  and  for  trade  must  have  thrilled  the  heart  of  Champlain 
when  he  saw  this  splendid  highway  stretching  south  right  across  between  the  lines  of 
the  mountains.  It  was  an  age  when  the  growth  of  the  great  Spanish  Empire  in  the 
southern  parts  of  North  America  and  over  the  most  of  South  America  had  fired  the 
imagination  of  other  nations  to  emulate  what  Spain  had  done,  and  Holland  and 
France  and  England  all  sought  to  create  for  themselves  dominions  similar  to  that 
which  Spain  had  acquired  so  easily. 

So  the  example  of  Champlain,  who  came  to  found  an  empire  here  for  the  King 
of  France,  fired  many  an  excellent  French  pioneer  after  him,  until  Du  Luth  reached 
the  furthest  corner  of  Lake  Superior  at  the  spot  where  a  great  city  now  bears  his 
name,  and  until  La  Salle,  passing  up  Lake  Michigan,  and  by  the  spot  where  now 
Chicago  stands,  crossed  over  to  the  Illinois  river,  and  then  descended  dowTi  to  its 
mouth,  the  mighty  stream  of  the  Mississippi. 

Of  all  that  has  happened,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  since  those  days  of  Samuel 
Champlain,  I  have  no  time  to  speak.  I  cannot  tell  you  of  the  long  process  by  which 
Vermont  was  built  up,  and  filled  with  the  stalwart  race  of  the  Green  Mountain 
boys.  I  don't  know,  by  the  way,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  why  we  should  always  have 
to  refer  to  the  Green  Mountain  boys  and  not  speak  also  of  the  Green  Mountain 
girls.  (Applause.)  Those  men  of  the  Green  Mountains  were  indeed  a  sturdy  and 
stalwart  race.  They  were  the  early  predecessors  of  the  Western  backwoodsmen 
of  later  days,  they  were  the  men  who  had  the  hardy  virtues,  which  in  your  later 
days,  you  associate  with  the  Far  West.  But  in  one  respect  they  are  perhaps  better 
than  the  men  of  the  Far  West,  for  they  were  not  so  free  and  easy  in  their  use  of 
shooting  irons.  Perhaps,  however,  that  is  so  only  because  in  those  days  the  revolver 
had  not  yet  been  invented.  Nor  can  I  stop  to  describe  the  long  strife  that  ranged 
along  the  shores  of  your  lake.  We  have  been  hearing  about  that  for  the  last  three 
days  in  New  York  State.  Nor  will  I  attempt  to  discuss  the  rival  claims  that  were 
put  forward  to  the  territory  in  the  presence  of  two  such  potentates  as  the  Governors 
of  New  York  and  Vermont.  I  will  only  say  that  those  contests  gave  an  occasion 
for  the  display  of  that  admirable  quality  in  which  the  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
and  particularly  of  the  northern  part  of  the  United  States,  stand  pre-eminent,  a  very 
high  sense  of  justice  and  individual  right,  and  a  determination  to  assert  individual 
right  by   every  legal  method.      These  long  differences  have   now   been  happily 


266  State  of  New  York 


adjusted,  and  I  will  leap  across  the  intervening  centuries  to  give  you  one  thought 
that  occurs  to  me  when  I  consider  what  has  become  of  northern  New  York  and 
Vermont,  now  three  centuries  from  the  time  when  those  territories  were  first  dis- 
covered. 

How  strangely  does  the  present  differ  from  what  anybody  in  the  past  could  have 
foretold.  How  wonderfully  are  all  the  purposes  of  man  turned  aside.  How  little 
can  anyone  foresee  what  the  future  has  in  store;  how  little  can  the  discoverer  him- 
self tell  what  will  become  of  the  land  which  he  discovered.  Champlain  thought 
that  he  came  here  to  establish  the  dominion  of  the  Royal  House  of  France,  to  open 
up  a  great  trade  in  furs,  and  to  make  this  a  great  highway  of  commerce.  The 
monarchy  of  France  is  gone,  the  furs  are  gone,  the  Indians  whom  he  sought  to  con- 
vert are  gone;  and  except  for  a  short  time  when  the  trade  in  furs  was  active  along 
Lake  Champlain,  it  has  never  yet  been  a  great  highway  of  commerce.  It  promised 
to  become  one  when  the  second  steamboat,  immediately  after  the  first  steamboat  of 
Fulton  was  launched  upon  the  Hudson,  when  a  steamboat  was  launched  to  ply  here. 
But  soon  after  there  came  the  railroad,  and  by  the  time  that  the  lands  to  the  north 
and  south  were  so  filled  that  there  were  plenty  of  passengers  and  freight  to  carry  to 
and  fro,  the  swifter  transportation  by  the  railroad  superseded  water  carriage,  and  it 
is  now  the  railroads  and  not  the  steamers  that  carry  the  passengers  on  your  lakes. 
If  the  hopes  entertained  by  your  mayor  are  realized  and  this  projected  deep  water 
line  of  navigation  is  opened  up,  it  may  be  that  the  dream  of  Champlain  may  at  last 
be  realized  and  that  your  lake  will  again  be  that  highway  of  commerce  he  desired. 

But  now  it  has  become  at  last  a  dwelling  of  peace  and  quiet.  No  more  warships 
are  seen  upon  your  waters,  no  more  forts  stand  armed  upon  your  shores,  no  shouts 
from  war  canoes  awaken  the  echoes  of  your  cliffs.  We  have  been  celebrating  for 
the  last  two  days  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  and  you  are  now  celebrating  here  a 
veritable  festival  of  peace,  in  which  the  representative  of  France  is  here  to  mingle 
his  thoughts  of  peace  with  ours,  and  in  which  the  soldiers  of  Canada  have  come  to 
parade  beside  your  soldiers.  (Applause.)  I  wonder,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  what 
the  future  has  in  store  for  a  lake  whose  history  is  now  so  strangely  unlike  what  was 
predicted  for  it.  When  one  speaks  of  the  failure  of  prophecy  in  the  past,  one  ought 
to  be  shy  of  making  any  prophecies  for  the  future;  but  a  man  may  perhaps  venture 
to  prophesy  when  he  knows  that  the  truth  or  falsity  of  his  prediction  cannot  be 
known  until  long  after  he  and  those  who  hear  him  have  all  disappeared  from  this 
scene.  So  I  will  venture  to  make  one  prophecy.  It  does  not  seem  likely  that  your 
shores  on  this  side,  or  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake  will  ever  be  the  scene  of  any 
very  startling  or  sudden  development  of  material  wealth.  You  have  indeed  some 
fertile  lands  in  southern  Vermont,  but  you  have  not  the  coal  here  that  other  parts 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  267 


of  the  country  have,  and  your  soil  is  not  as  fertile  as  are  the  prairies  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley.  You  may,  indeed,  possess  mineral  wealth  that  is  not  yet  revealed. 
Science  makes  so  many  discoveries  that  we  can  never  tell  what  stores  of  new 
minerals  —  perhaps  of  radium,  far  more  costly  than  gold  —  may  lie  hidden  in  your 
hills.  We  cannot  tell  what  new  minerals  will  be  added  to  the  marble  quarries 
which  are  one  of  the  sources  of  wealth  of  your  State.  But  as  I  see  the  future  at 
present,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  great  assets  of  your  country  in  Vermont  are  two. 
One  is  the  race  of  men  and  women  that  inhabit  it.      (Applause.) 

You  men  of  northern  Vermont  and  northern  New  Hampshire,  living  among  its 
rocks  and  mountains  in  a  region  which  may  be  called  the  Switzerland  of  America  — 
you  are  the  people  here  who  have  had  hearts  full  of  the  love  of  freedom  which 
exists  in  mountain  peoples,  and  who  have  the  indomitable  spirit  and  the  unconquer- 
able will  which  we  always  associate  with  the  lake  and  mountain  lands  of  the  Alps 
and  Scotland.  You  have  shown  it  in  the  great  men  that  you  have  given  to  the 
United  States,  and  in  the  hardy  pioneers  and  settlers  which  you  have  sent  forth 
from  northern  New  England  to  settle  in  northern  New  York,  and  all  across  the 
continent  as  far  as  the  ranges  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  And  then  your  country  is 
unequalled  in  the  beauty  and  variety  of  the  scenery  with  which  Providence  has 
blessed  you.  (Applause.)  No  other  part  of  eastern  America  can  compare  for  the 
varied  charms  of  a  wild  and  romantic  nature  with  the  States  that  lie  around  Lake 
Champlain  and  the  White  Mountains.  And  as  wealth  increases  in  other  parts  of 
the  country,  as  the  gigantic  cities  of  the  eastern  States  grow  still  vaster,  as  popula- 
tion thickens  in  the  agricultural  and  manufacturing  parts  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania, 
and  Indiana  and  Illinois,  one  may  foresee  a  time  when  the  love  of  nature  and  the 
love  of  recreation  and  health  will  draw  more  and  more  of  the  population  of  those 
over-crowded  cities  and  States  to  seek  the  delights  of  nature  in  these  spots  where 
nature  shows  at  her  loveliest.  I  would  need  the  imagination  of  a  poet  or  the  pen  of 
a  real  estate  agent  to  figure  out  what  the  value  of  property  will  become  on  the  shores 
here  half  a  century  hence;  but  this  I  can  say,  that  I  do  believe  that  all  eastern 
America  will  come  more  and  more  to  value  this  region  of  mountains  and  lakes,  as 
the  place  in  which  relief  will  have  to  be  sought  from  the  constantly  growing  strain 
and  stress  of  our  modern  life.  And  anyone  who  values  nature  and  loves  nature,  and 
who  foresees  such  a  future  as  that  for  this  part  of  America,  cannot  refrain  from 
taking  this  opportunity  of  begging  you  to  do  all  you  can  to  safeguard  and  preserve 
those  beauties  and  charms  of  nature  with  which  you  have  been  endowed  in  such 
liberal  measure.  (Applause.)  Do  not  suffer  any  of  those  charms  to  be  lost  by 
any  want  of  foresight  on  your  part  now.  Save  your  woods,  not  only  because  they 
are  one  of  your  great  natural  resources  that  ought  to  be  conserved,  but  also  because 


268  State  of  New  York 


they  are  a  source  of  beauty  which  can  never  be  recovered  if  they  are  lost.  Do  not 
permit  any  unsightly  buildings  to  deform  a  beautiful  bit  of  scenery  which  is  a  joy 
to  those  who  visit  you.  Preserve  the  purity  of  your  streams  and  your  lakes,  not 
merely  for  the  sake  of  the  angler,  although  I  have  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  with  him, 
but  also  for  the  sake  of  those  who  live  on  the  banks,  and  those  who  come  to  seek  the 
joy  of  an  unspoiled  nature  by  the  river-sides.  Keep  open  the  summits  of  your 
mountains.  Let  no  man  debar  you  from  free  access  to  the  top  of  your  mountains 
and  from  the  pleasure  of  wandering  along  their  sides,  and  the  joys  their  prospects 
afford.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  in  ray  own  country  there  are  persons  who  in  the 
interest  of  what  we  call  their  sporting  right  are  endeavoring  to  prevent  the  pedestrians 
and  the  artists  and  the  geologists  and  the  botanists,  and  any  one  who  loves  nature 
and  seeks  nature  for  her  own  sake,  from  enjoying  the  mountains  and  the  views  they 
afford.  Do  not,  in  this  country,  suffer  any  such  mistake  to  be  made;  but  see  that 
you  keep  open  for  the  enjoyment  of  all  the  people,  for  the  humblest  of  the  people, 
as  well  as  for  those  who  can  enjoy  villas  and  yachts  of  their  own,  the  beauties  with 
which  Providence  has  blessed  you. 

These,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  are  some  of  the  means  by  which  this  noble  shore, 
the  most  beautiful  of  all  throughout  eastern  America,  can  be  preserved  for  the 
enjoyment  of  your  whole  United  States  with  some  of  that  romantic  charm,  and  that 
wild  simplicity  which  it  possessed  when  the  canoe  of  the  discoverer  first  clove  its 
silent  waters,  and  when  gazing  southward  he  marked  the  long  ranges,  the  Adiron- 
dacks  to  the  west  and  the  Green  Mountains  to  the  east,  from  whose  peaks  two 
sister  States  now  look  at  this  shining  expanse  and  unite,  as  we  do  to-day,  in  celebrat- 
ing the  fame  and  the  name  of  one  who  belonged  then  to  France,  but  who  now 
belongs  to  the  world,  Samuel  de  Champlain.      (Applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  —  Ladies  and  Cenilemen:  To  the  north  of  us  we 
have  a  neighbor  of  which  I  have  spoken  before.  We  love  her  as  a 
brother.  We  are  glad  to  welcome  her  representative  here  to-day.  We 
are  glad  that  she  has  sent  such  a  distinguished  man,  and  without  further 
words  I  present  to  you  the  Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux,  Pastmaster-General 
of  Canada,  who  will  address  you  in  behalf  of  Canada. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  269 


Speech  Delivered  by  the  Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux 

Mr.  President,  Your  Excellencies,  Ladies  and  Cenllemen:  Twelve  months  ago, 
the  eyes  of  the  world  were  riveted  on  Quebec,  on  the  occasion  of  its  tercentenary. 
The  heir  to  the  throne  was  there  to  represent  our  great  and  good  King,  His  Majesty 
Edward  the  Seventh.  France  and  the  United  States,  the  two  sister  republics,  were 
also  welcome  guests  at  that  unique  gathering. 

Unfurled  at  the  masts  of  a  mighty  fleet,  floated  the  Union  Jack,  the  Tricolor, 
and  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  The  flags  of  three  great  nations  were  thus  unfurled  and 
entwined  in  honor  of  Samuel  de  Champlain,  founder  of  Quebec  and  father  of 
New  France. 

The  event  is  one  never  to  be  forgotten.  Fortunate  were  those  who  witnessed  the 
memorable  pageantry.  They  brought  back  with  them  a  sense  of  rapture  which  the 
vision  of  Quebec,  alone  of  all  American  cities,  can  produce. 

The  Plains  of  Abraham  where  the  two  heroes  fell,  the  old  walls  and  the  world- 
famed  Citadel,  remind  one  of  the  mighty  struggles  of  the  past;  while  over  yonder, 
what  a  panorama  unrolled  itself  before  the  eyes!  Here  the  city  with  its  glacis  and 
terrace,  its  battlements  and  quaint  gables;  there,  the  fort-crowned  heights  of  Levis, 
the  graceful  meandering  of  the  River  St.  Charles,  bathing  the  Laurentian  mountains, 
the  Emerald  Isle  of  Orleans,  and,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  snow-white  villages 
dotting  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  their  spires  resounding  wath  the  soft  tinkle  of 
chapel  and  convent  bells. 

Twelve  months  have  elapsed,  and  to-day  as  by  enchantment,  we  are  assembled 
here  to  take  part  in  other  festivities  in  honor  of  the  same  hero.  The  scene  has 
changed  —  but  the  three  great  nations  vie  with  each  other  in  again  offering  their 
homage  to  Samuel  de  Champlain. 

We  are  privileged  in  having  with  us  the  President  of  the  United  States.  France 
and  England  are  also  officially  represented  by  their  Ambassadors.  The  scene  has 
changed,  but  the  actors  are  the  same. 

Indeed,  the  name  of  Champlain  belongs  not  only  to  one  race,  but  to  humanity. 
His  fame  as  a  navigator  and  as  a  discoverer  extends  far  beyond  Quebec,  far  beyond 
this  lake.     It  extends  all  over  America. 

With  the  hope  of  finding  the  highway  to  the  riches  of  India,  the  fervor  of  his 
ardent  spirit  led  him  in  his  first  voyage  to  project  a  canal  across  the  Panama. 

And  later  on,  still  dreaming  that  a  pathway  might  yet  be  found  which  would 
lead  him  to  this  golden  land,  he  penetrated  through  the  St.  Lawrence  as  far  as  the 
great  inland  seas.  He,  before  all  others,  surveyed  the  Ottawa  river  and  its  tribu- 
taries.    He  was  a  pioneer. 


270  State  of  New  York 


The  Panama  canal  is  now  well  under  way,  and  thanks  to  the  vigorous  and 
enhghtened  policy  of  President  Taft,  the  world  will  soon  realize  what  the  opening 
of  the  Isthmus  means  for  the  interchange  of  commerce  between  the  east  and  the  west. 

Some  day,  not  too  far  distant,  the  Canadian  government  will  build  the  Georgian 
Bay  canal.  Its  course  will  follow  practically  the  same  route  as  that  surveyed  by 
Champlain  three  centuries  ago.  The  dream  of  a  pathway  to  Cathay  has  long  ago 
been  fulfilled.  From  Montreal,  four  days'  travel  carries  one  to  the  Pacific,  and 
the  wealth  of  the  Orient  is  within  his  grasp.  With  the  transcontinental  railways 
and  the  Empress  lines  of  steamers,  the  mysteries  of  the  far  east  have  now  faded  away. 

But,  sir,  what  is  the  true  significance  of  this  celebration,  and  why  this  gathering? 

If  Quebec,  if  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  the  scene  of  the  last  conflict  between  the 
two  great  rival  powers,  stand  in  bold  relief  in  the  annals  of  America,  this  Lake 
Champlain  valley  can  also  well  be  pointed  to  as  one  of  the  hallowed  grounds  of  this 
continent. 

Long  before  its  discovery  by  Champlain,  the  blue  waters  of  the  lake  shaded  by 
the  primeval  forests  were  traversed  by  the  warring  Indian  tribes  in  their  crafts  of 
fragile  bark.  The  red  men  knew  the  importance  of  this  site  in  their  errands.  They 
had  called  it  the  "  Gate  of  the  Country." 

And  when  Champlain,  induced  by  his  allies  to  visit  these  shores  in  July,  1  609, 
gazed  upon  this  sheet  of  water,  he  soon  foresaw  what  its  undisputed  possession  meant 
from  a  strategical  point  of  view.  Here  was  the  highway  between  Quebec  and 
Albany,  between  the  north  and  the  south,  between  New  France  and  New  England, 
a  highway  through  which,  during  250  years  surged  the  tides  of  war  and  travel.  In 
time  of  peace,  the  picturesque  flotillas  of  canoes  brought  here  from  the  deepest 
recesses  the  fur  trader,  the  trappers,  the  coureurs  de  hois  and  the  black-robed  mis- 
sionary. 

In  time  of  war,  from  the  north  and  from  the  south,  marched  with  unfaltering 
steps  the  elite  of  French  and  English  armies  —  and  later,  of  the  American  army  — 
in  order  to  gain  control  of  this  all-important  thoroughfare. 

From  whatever  point  the  eye  wanders  on  this  lake,  it  rests  upon  some  historical 
fortifications  which,  though  silent,  bear  witness  that  the  destinies  of  France,  of 
England,  of  the  United  States  and  of  Canada  were  largely  decided  here.  Fort  Ste. 
Anne  at  Isle  La  Motte,  Fort  St.  Frederic  at  CrowTi  Point,  Fort  Carillon  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  are  landmarks  familiar  to  every  schoolboy  on  both  sides  of  the  boundary. 
And  what  great  men  —  pioneers,  generals,  soldiers,  whose  fame  re-echoes  from  shore 
to  shore ! 

On  that  roll  of  honor  Canada  stands  prominently.  In  the  words  of  Parkman: 
"  When  America  was  first  made  known  to  Europe,  the  part  assumed  by  France  on 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  271 


the  borders  of  that  new  world  was  peculiar,  and  is  little  recognized.  While  the 
Spaniard  roamed  sea  and  land,  burning  for  achievement,  and  while  England  with 
soberer  steps  and  less  dazzling  result,  followed  in  the  path  of  discovery  and  gold- 
hunting,  it  was  from  France  that  those  barbarous  shores  first  learned  to  serve  the 
ends  of  peaceful  commercial  industry." 

A  Canadian,  of  French  descent,  it  is  with  pardonable  pride  that  I  may  recall  the 
fact  that  the  pioneers  of  civilization  on  the  American  continent  were  men  of  my  race. 

They  were  the  first  to  leave  the  ridges  of  the  eastern  hills  and  to  open  the  march 
through  those  reaches  of  the  continent  where  lay  the  untrodden  paths  of  the  far  west. 
There,  upon  the  courses  of  the  distant  rivers  that  gleamed  before  them  in  the  sun, 
down  the  farther  slopes  of  the  hills  beyond,  out  upon  the  broad  fields  that  lay  upon 
the  fertile  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  upon  the  long  stretch  of  the  continent  to  the 
Rockies  —  those  were  the  regions  in  which,  joining  with  people  in  every  race  and 
clime  under  the  sun,  they  helped  to  make  the  great  compounded  nation  whose  liberty 
and  mighty  works  of  peace  were  to  cause  all  the  world  to  stand  and  gaze  in  wonder- 
ment. 

Frenchmen  of  the  seventeenth  century,  who,  following  the  footsteps  of  Cham- 
plain,  settled  in  New  France,  were  of  a  roaming  and  adventurous  disposition.  Being, 
many  of  them,  scions  of  noble  families,  sons  of  warriors,  trade  —  and  still  less  the 
tilling  of  the  soil  —  did  not  appeal  to  their  tastes;  they  preferred  forest  life,  with 
the  entrancing  emotions  of  the  hunter;  it  was  almost  war  again. 

The  Puritans  of  the  New  England  colonies  were  more  practical  and  satisfied  with 
living  on  the  land  close  by  the  sea.  One  hundred  years  after  the  settlement  of 
Virginia,  the  colonists  from  that  State  had  not  yet  crossed  the  Alleghanies,  whilst 
explorers  from  New  France  had  overrun  all  the  vast  regions  along  the  Mississippi  to 
New  Orleans,  whose  founder,  Iberville,  came  from  Quebec.  These  daring  ancestors 
of  ours  had  tramped,  before  the  Seven  Years'  War,  the  country  covered  to-day  by 
Michigan,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa.  They  had  staked  the  sites  of  many  great  cities 
of  to-day. 

Louis  Joliet  and  Father  Marquette,  to  whose  memory  statues  have  been  erected, 
discovered  the  Mississippi  in  I  673,  though  it  is  pretended  that  de  Soto  had  visited 
that  river  almost  a  century  before,  but  for  a  long  time  all  knowledge  of  that  great 
water  course  had  been  lost. 

Cavelier  de  la  Salle,  explored  the  course  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
three  years  after  Marquette,  and  gave  the  country  adjoining  it  the  name  of  Louisiana, 
which  designated  for  a  long  time  a  much  larger  tract  of  country  than  it  does  now. 

Then  Father  Hennepin,  who  had  accompanied  La  Salle,  also  explored  the 
west  and  discovered  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  where  the  Indians  captured  him. 


272  State  of  New  York 

Du  Luth,  after  whom  the  promising  city  of  Duluth  was  named,  was  the  first 
European  who  visited  the  State  of  Minnesota,  estabUshing  a  settlement  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Huron  (St.  Joseph),   1680. 

Detroit  was  founded  by  Lamothe-Cadillac ;  the  city  of  Dubuque  by  Julien 
Dubuque,  a  Canadian;  Chouteau  built  the  first  house  in  St.  Louis,  and  Salomon 
Juneau  was  the  father  of  the  ambitious  city  of  Milwaukee,  whilst  Vital  Guerin 
chose  the  site  of  the  ever-growing  city  of  St.  Paul. 

Beaubien  camped  on  the  site  of  Chicago  and  afterwards  established  a  trading 
post  on  that  spot. 

Vincennes  owes  its  name  and  origin  to  the  Chevalier  de  Vincennes. 

Glancing  over  the  archives  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  there  is  no  exaggeration 
in  saying  that  the  colonization  and  settlement  of  the  West  was  due  to  Canadians. 

In  fact,  the  descendants  of  the  "  coureurs  de  bois  "  so  vividly  described  by 
Parkman,  were  wont  to  overrun  the  West. 

After  the  War  of  Independence,  they  made  the  territories  which  now  comprise 
the  States  of  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Iowa,  etc.,  their  home,  and  many  of  them  were 
the  connecting  link  between  the  Indians  and  the  United  States,  acting  as  interpreters 
when  treaties  were  concluded  between  the  aborigines  and  the  American  government. 

Leclerc,  Perrault,  Bisaillon,  to  name  but  a  few,  were  well  known  by  American 
statesmen  of  the  time,  and  advantage  was  taken  of  their  intercourse  and  good  rela- 
tionship with  the  Indians  to  bring  about  treaties  with  the  United  States. 

It  is  also  a  fact  that  these  Canadians  were  much  more  in  sympathy  with  the 
Indians  than  the  American  colonists,  living  their  lives,  associating  with  them  in  their 
every  day  pursuits.  Thus,  they  contributed  largely  to  the  extension  of  civilization 
westward. 

"  Westward  the  Star  of  Empire  takes  its  way,"  says  the  American  poet. 
Might  I  not  add:    "  Guided  by  Canadian  explorers  "  ? 

I  referred  a  moment  ago  to  the  Puritans.  The  stern  Puritan  character  of  the 
Puritan  Fathers,  who  founded  New  England,  was  perhaps  less  romantic  and  pictur- 
esque than  that  of  the  French  cavaliers  who  planted  the  cross  on  the  heights  of 
Quebec  and  roamed  all  over  the  continent,  but  they  also  represented  ideals  which 
contributed  in  the  making  of  the  North  American  continent. 

To  them,  to  their  courage  and  their  patient  labors,  is  due  the  enormous  expansion 
of  the  Republic. 

To  their  spirit  of  individual  initiative  and  endurance  must  we  assign  the  evolution 
which  has  taken  place  in  the  political  institutions  of  the  continent. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  273 


Sons  of  Great  Britain,  they  could  not  but  live  up  to  those  ideals  which,  born 
in  the  forests  of  northern  Europe  and  nursed  on  the  sea,  were  destined  to  rise  to 
full  stature  in  the  boundless  regions  and  wilds  of  America. 

They,  above  all  others,  can  claim  to  have  accomplished  the  great  task  of  building 
this  great  American  nation  and  of  inspiring  its  polity. 

Englishmen  bred  in  law  and  ordered  government,  they  left  an  ancient  realm,  a 
land  of  art  and  letters,  to  build  states  in  a  wilderness.  They  brought  with  them  the 
steadied  habits  and  sobered  thoughts  of  a  highly  civilized  nation  into  the  wild  air 
of  an  untouched  continent. 

All  honor  to  the  Puritan  Fathers! 

But  whilst  we  must  show  appreciation  of  the  explorers  and  pioneers  of  this  con- 
tinent and  of  the  warriors  who  fought  and  died  here  for  their  country,  whilst  to 
forget  such  true  and  brave  men  or  even  to  yield  them  indifferent  praise,  would  be 
but  shame,  yet,  sir,  is  not  this  the  fittest  occasion  to  proclaim  our  determination 
that  now  on  and  forever  the  American  commonwealth  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada 
shall  always  promote  and  advance  the  cause  of  peace,  harmony  and  civilization  on 
this  vast  continent. 

There  are  heroes  of  peace  as  there  are  heroes  of  war.  In  our  modern  times, 
death  sacrifice  is  not  demanded  as  in  days  gone  by.  With  less  glamour,  perhaps,  but 
with  no  less  glory,  can  the  statesman,  by  standing  faithfully  to  their  unthanked  tasks 
of  public  service,  make  their  country  a  better  land. 

Assembled  here,  on  the  historic  shores  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  representatives 
of  three  great  nations  can  well  afford  to  proclaim  before  the  whole  world  that  the 
arts  of  peace  are  above  all  most  civihzing. 

The  entente  cordiale  between  France  and  England  has  given  Europe  the  assur- 
ance of  a  long  period  of  rest.  The  ties  of  friendship  which  bind  Great  Britain  to 
the  American  Republic  have  removed  from  the  New  World  all  causes  of  friction. 

What  better  evidence  could  be  given  of  the  existence  of  that  friendly  spirit  than 
that  for  nearly  a  century  the  policing  of  the  Great  Lakes  has  been  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum of  armed  cruisers. 

What  better  evidence  of  a  sincere  mutual  affection  between  the  two  nations 
than  that  within  a  very  short  period  of  time  five  treaties  affecting  Canada  and  the 
United  States  have  been  negotiated,  signed  and  ratified;  a  sixth  awaits  ratification, 
cind  a  seventh  is  almost  completed. 

This  is  indeed  an  inspiring  example  to  the  whole  world  —  two  nations  separated 
only  by  a  boundary  line  —  which  for  three  thousand  miles  have  no  other  protection 
19 


274  State  of  New  York 

against  hostilities  than  the  fixed  and  settled  determination  of  both  people  to  pursue 
in  peace  the  different  paths  which  they  have  been  treading  for  more  than  one  hundred 
years. 

Under  different  flags  we  are  pressing  toward  a  single  goal:  freedom,  righteousness 
and  dul^  —  thus  uniting  in  the  loftiest  of  hopes,  aspirations  and  ideals.    (Applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  —  My  friends,  what  do  you  think  about  now? 
(Laughter  and  applause.)  There  is  one  thing  more,  and  that  is  this,  we 
may  forget  the  story  which  is  told,  we  never  forget  the  song,  and  as  we 
wish  to  commemorate  this  event,  so  that  it  shall  always  be  remembered 
we  have  secured  a  sweet  singer  who  we  believe  will  be  able  to  sing  such 
a  song  as  shall  be  remembered.  I  present  to  you  Mr.  Bliss  Carman,  who 
has  written  a  poem  appropriate  for  this  occasion  and  will  now  deliver  it. 

Mr.  Bliss  Carman  read  the  following  poem: 

THE  CHAMPLAIN  COUNTRY 

An  Ode  by  Bliss  Carman. 

When  the  sweet  Summer  days 

Come  to  New  England,  and  the  south  wind  plays 

Over  the  forests,  and  the  tall  tulip  trees 

Lift  up  their  chalices 

Of  delicate  orange  green 

Against  the  Blue  serene; 

When  the  chestnut  crowns  are  full  of  flowers. 

And  the  long  hours 

Are  not  too  long 

For  the  oriole's  song; 

When  the  wild  roses  blow 

In  blueberry  pastures,  and  the  Bobwhite's  note 

Calls  us  away 

On  the  happy  trail  where  every  heart  must  go; 

When  the  white  clouds  float 

Through  an  ampler  day. 

And  the  old  sea  lies  mystical  blue  once  more 

Along  the  Pilgrim  shore. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  275 

Crooning  to  stone-fenced  pastures  sweet  with  fern 

Tales  of  the  long  ago  and  the  far  away; 

And  when  to  the  hemlock  solitudes  return 

The  gold-voiced  thrushes,  and  the  high  beech  woods 

Ring  with  enchantment  as  the  twihght  falls 

Among  the  darkening  hills; 

And  the  new  moonlight  fills 

The  world  with  beauty  and  the  soul  with  peace 

And  infinite  release; 

Is  there  any  land  that  history  recalls 

Bestowed  by  gods  on  mortals  anywhere 

More  goodly  than  New  England  or  more  fair? 

On  such  a  day  three  hundred  years  ago 

By  toilsome  trails  and  slow 

But  with  the  adventurer's  spirit  all  aflame. 

The  great  discoverer  came. 

Finding  another  Indies  than  he  guessed 

To  reward  his  darling  quest. 

And  fill  the  wonder-volume  of  Romance  — 

The  sailor  of  little  Brouage,  the  founder  of  New  France, 

Sturdy,  sagacious,  plain 

Samuel  de  Champlain. 

On  many  a  river  and  stream 

The  paddles  of  his  Abenakis  dip  and  gleam; 

Their  slim  canoe  poles  set  and  flash  in  the  sun. 

Where  strong  white  waters  run; 

By  many  a  portage,  many  a  wooded  shore. 

They  press  on  to  explore 

The  unknown  that  leads  them  ever  to  the  west; 

And  when  at  dusk  their  camp  is  made 

Within  the  dense  still  shade, 

The  white  shafts  of  the  moonlight  creep 

About  them  while  they  sleep 

On  the  earth's  fragrant  and  untroubled  breast. 

They  on  a  day  upon  some  granite  rise 

They  stand  in  mute  surprise, 


276  State  of  New  York 


And  wonder,  as  they  gaze 

On  the  green  wilderness  in  Summer  haze. 

At  a  new  paradise 

Unrolled  before  their  eyes. 

What  did  he  seek. 

This  hardy  voyager  with  the  steady  hand. 

And  the  sunburnt  cheek? 

Passage  to  India  and  the  fabled  land 

So  longed  for  and  foretold. 

Where  rivers  ran  with  gold  — 

Man's  fond  far  hope  of  unlaborious  ease. 

Miraculous  wealth  and  benefits  unearned. 

For  which  he  vainly  yearned. 

He  found  here  no  such  place. 

But  in  this  new  world  again  was  face  to  face 

With  life's  familiar  laws  and  orders  old. 

Still  to  be  followed,  if  we  would  fill  the  mould 

Of  our  ideal  —  a  manhood  that  is  free 

With  the  soul's  large  and  happy  liberty. 

As  if  God  said  to  man, 
'  Try  once  again  my  plan. 
Here  is  a  continent  all  new. 
Take  it  and  see  once  more  what  thou  canst  do. 
The  happiness  which  thy  stormy  heart  desires 
My  will  foresees,  requires. 
On  the  long  road  that  lies 
Across  the  centuries 
To  my  perfection  dimly  understood. 
Seek  thou  the  almighty  good, 
The  everlasting  beautiful  and  true." 

Men  of  New  England,  sons  of  pioneers. 

And  in  your  birthright  peers 

Of  the  world's  masters,  this  is  holy  soil, 

The  divine  ancestral  dust  from  which  we  come. 

Bringing  our  dreams  of  justice,  the  high  thought 

Of  a  pure  freedom  for  which  our  mothers  wrought 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  277 


In  dreamful  pride. 

And  our  fathers  lived  and  died. 

With  unselfish  toil. 

Even  as  they  willed. 

We  too  must  toil  to  build 

The  ideal  state. 

Which  shall  be  strong  without  brutality, 

And  by  its  fine  humanity  be  great. 

This  is  no  fairyland. 

No  Eldorado  planned 

For  our  salvation.     The  law  runs  forth  and  back. 

Immutable  as  the  sun  on  his  sidereal  track, 

Beneficent  and  profound: 

Only  with  labor  comes  ease. 

Only  with  wisdom  comes  joy 

And  greatness  comes  not  without  love. 

This  is  God's  garden  ground. 

And  we  are  the  tillers  thereof. 

And  the  crop  shall  be  women  and  men, 

As  ever  of  old  — 

Not  a  pale  city  breed. 

Bred  between  hunger  and  greed. 

But  a  new  cosmic  race. 

With  the  poise  of  the  world  in  its  mien. 

The  ineffable  soul  in  its  face. 

Remembering  the  best  that  has  been. 

And  its  password,  "  The  best  that  can  be!  '* 

No  Mesopotamian  valley,  nor  Eden  age. 

Is  the  place,  is  the  time. 

For  the  birth  of  the  sublime. 

The  lovely  and  the  same. 

But  the  time  is  now,  and  the  place  is  here. 

For  the  life  divine. 

In  July  of  the  year 

Ninteen  hundred  and  nine. 

In  the  Country  of  Champlain.      (Applause.) 


278  State  of  New  York 

Governor  Prouty  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  We  are  celebrating 
historic  events.  The  valley  of  the  Champlain  has  been  the  scene  of  many 
wars,  of  much  strife,  but  w^e  must  remember,  as  was  so  beautifully  said 
here  the  other  day,  that  the  nations  which  contended  in  this  valley  are 
neither  of  them  here  at  the  present  time,  but  a  new  nation  has  arisen,  and 
to-day  that  nation  is  represented  here  by  its  first  citizen.  I  present  to 
you  the  President  of  the  United  States.     (Applause.) 

President  Taft  at  Burlington 

President  Taft — Covernor  Prouty,  Messrs.  Ambassadors,  Covernor  Hughes, 
and  Other  Disilnguished  Quests,  and  Citizens  of  Vermont:  It  is  true  as  Governor 
Prouty  said  that  I  had  a  summons  to  Washington  yesterday  and  that  I  disobeyed 
that  summons,  because  I  did  not  wish  to  miss  the  honor  of  being  present  on  this 
occasion  to  testify  to  the  pride  I  have  in  showing  three  generations  of  my  ancestors 
as  Vermont  men.  (Applause.)  I  am  proud  of  it  because  it  means  that  they  live 
among  a  people  of  rugged  honesty,  with  the  spirit  of  true  liberty,  with  faith  in  God, 
and  with  ability  to  help  themselves.     (Applause.) 

I  had  a  colleague  on  the  bench  when  I  was  a  judge  who  came  from  Vermont, 
and  I  asked  him  why  he  came  from  there.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  there  were  giant 
tracks  in  that  State,  but,"  he  said,  "  I  can  only  explain  to  you  why  I  left  by  the 
fact  that  I  was  examined  for  the  bar  by  a  committee  of  three,  one  of  whom  was  the 
clerk  of  the  court  and  two  others  were  then  leaders  of  the  bar.  One  was  92,  the 
other  94,  and  the  third  was  96,  and  I  concluded  that  if  I  sought  a  place  of 
prominence  at  a  bar  I  had  better  move  out  of  the  State."  (Laughter.)  Now, 
whether  it  is  that  you  all  live  to  be  a  hundred  here,  or  whether  it  is  that  the  severi- 
ties of  your  winters  and  the  obstacles  that  you  have  to  encounter  in  living  are  such 
that  the  weak  are  cut  off  in  their  youth  and  only  the  survivors  live,  I  don't  know 
(laughter),  but  certain  it  is  that  a  man  who  can  claim  Vermont  lineage  has  some- 
thing to  be  proud  of.  (Applause.)  My  father  knew  every  man  in  the  State  of 
Ohio  that  had  come  from  Vermont.  And  there  is  something  about  Vermont  men, 
whether  you  meet  them  in  California  or  Ohio,  or  any  other  State  —  and  they  are  in 
every  State  —  that  makes  between  them  a  bond  almost  equal  to  a  bond  of  Free- 
masonry.    (Applause.) 

Now,  my  friends,  I  am  not  in  the  theatrical  business,  and  I  have  not  fully  under- 
stood until  the  last  three  days  what  was  meant  by  a  continuous  show.  (Laughter.) 
Now  I  know.  (Laughter.)  And  it  affects  differently  those  who  are  engaged  in  it 
and  those  who  come  in. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  279 


I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  attempting  to  compose  the  differences  arising  between 
the  Governor  of  New  York  and  the  Governor  of  Vermont,  and  it  has  been  at  times 
a  difficuh  task.  I  do  not  mean  to  make  that  harmonious  union  that  they  speak  of 
now,  and  that  I  hope  will  continue  to  be  preserved,  any  more  difficult  by  suggesting 
a  solution  of  the  problem  about  to  arise  in  respect  to  the  place  where  the  monument 
to  Samuel  Champlain  is  to  be  put.  (Laughter.)  I  suggested  last  night  that  it 
might  be  well  to  submit  it  to  a  committee  consisting  of  the  French  Ambassador,  the 
English  Ambassador,  and  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  United  States,  and  that  we 
might  then  reach  a  conclusion  that  would  satisfy  nobody.  I  don't  know  how  you 
are  going  to  satisfy  everybody  unless  you  make  Champlain  a  Colossus  of  Rhodes 
and  put  one  foot  in  New  York  and  one  foot  in  Vermont  (laughter)  and  then  when 
you  do  you  will  interfere  with  that  ambitious  plan  of  your  mayor  with  reference 
to  a  deep  waterway.  (Laughter.)  I  feel  about  the  solution  of  that  question  very 
much  as  the  gentleman  did  who  came  across  a  creek  which  he  was  told  was  called 
the  Saskascheiqualie  Creek,  and  he  asked  his  informant  how  they  spelled  that 
name.  He  said:  "  Some  spells  it  one  way  and  some  spells  it  another,  but  in  my 
judgment  there  are  no  correct  way  of  spelling  it."     (Laughter.) 

My  friends,  this  is  a  most  unique  and  many-sided  memorial.  I  know  there  has 
run  through  your  minds  as  there  has  through  mine  this  morning  the  happy  feeling 
of  being  present  to  hear  such  beautiful  speeches  from  the  heart,  as  we  have  heard 
from  the  eloquent  representatives,  from  all  who  have  been  invited  to  take  part  in  this 
celebration.  (Applause.)  We  meet  to  celebrate  an  event  and  a  man  upon  whose 
life  and  upon  the  acts  of  whose  life  turned,  in  a  way  which  he  little  expected,  the 
whole  settlement  of  this  country.  We  meet  here  to  celebrate  his  virtues  and  to  con- 
gratulate France,  his  country,  as  one  that  could  produce  such  a  hero  (applause), 
but  the  feature  of  this  memorial  that  I  think  so  unique  in  all  memorials  that  I  know 
of  is  the  gathering  here  in  amity,  in  peace  and  in  a  union  that  cannot  be  torn  apart, 
of  three  great  powers,  England,  France  and  the  United  States  (applause),  and 
with  England  her  fairest  daughter,  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  (Applause).  I 
ask  you,  where  in  all  the  history  of  memorials  can  you  find  one  that  in  that  respect 
will  match  this?  (Applause.)  Only  yesterday  —  and  it  will  be  the  same  to-day  — 
two  regiments  of  Canadian  soldiers,  the  Governor's  Foot  Guards  and  the  Royal 
Highlanders,  march  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  militia  of  Vermont  and  the  regu- 
lars of  the  United  States.  They  will  all  understand  the  same  orders  in  the  same 
way  and  you  won't  feel,  except  by  the  difference  in  color,  that  you  are  looking  on 
any  different  or  varied  race.  (Applause.)  And  now,  my  friends,  I  am  not  going 
to  keep  you  any  longer.  If  there  is  any  one  thmg  that  my  experience  in  a  continuous 
show  has  taught  me  it  is  that  each  man  ought  to  limit  his  particular  stunt.  I  thank 
you.     (Applause.) 


280  State  of  New  York 

When  the  speaking  was  over  the  President  and  other  principal  guests 
reviewed  the  parade  of  the  day.  It  included  the  Canadian  Governor- 
General's  Foot  Guards,  the  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
the  Vermont  regiment  of  the  National  Guard,  the  Indians  who  were  pre- 
senting the  historical  pageants,  and  many  civic  guests.  At  its  close  the 
Presidential  party  was  taken  to  the  Ethan  Allen  Club  for  luncheon. 
On  the  way  thither  the  President  met  a  detachment  of  Civil  War 
veterans.  There  was  a  halt  and  an  exchange  of  hearty  greetings,  which, 
to  many  an  old  soldier,  was  perhaps  the  pleasantest  incident  of  the  day. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  the  President  witnessed  for  the  first  time  the 
Indian  pageant  of  Hiawatha,  from  a  grandstand  on  the  lake  shore,  seat- 
ing some  five  thousand  spectators.  It  was  packed  to  the  utmost.  At 
the  close  of  this  exhibition.  President  Taft  and  other  guests  were  given 
a  drive  through  Burlington's  attractive  streets  and  parks,  and  at  6  o'clock 
they  were  taken  to  the  Gymnasium  of  the  University  of  Vermont  where 
a  commemoration  dinner  was  served  to  some  five  hundred  dmers. 

On  the  President's  entrance  the  whole  assemblage  which  packed  the 
long  hall  rose  to  its  feet  with  a  single  impulse  and  for  some  five  minutes 
made  the  rafters  tremble  with  a  storm  of  applause. 

The  President  was  seated  between  Governor  Prouty  and  Mrs.  Prouty, 
the  former  acting  as  toastmaster  for  the  occasion.  TTie  Gymnasium  was 
most  strikingly  decorated.  From  the  center  of  the  high  ceiling  a  cluster  of 
American,  English  and  French  flags  was  artistically  arranged  and  from 
them  radiated  long  streamers  of  red,  white  and  blue  bunting.  Great  blue 
banners  bearing  the  fleurs-de-lis  of  France  hung  from  either  side  and 
spaced  about  the  walls  were  smaller  flags  of  the  three  nations  repre- 
sented. 

TTie  guests  were  seated  at  sis  very  long  tables ;  and  at  the  end  of  the 
hall,  raised  on  a  platform  and  banked  with  evergreen,  was  the  speakers' 
table.  At  the  close  of  the  dinner  Governor  Prouty  presented  the  first 
speaker  and  the  chief  guest  of  the  occasion  in  the  following  words : 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  281 


THE  BANQUET  AT  BURLINGTON. 

Governor  ProUTY  —  For  the  last  three  days  it  seems  to  me  that  I 
have  done  nothing  but  talk  and  to-night  all  I  can  say  to  you  is  that  I  am 
pumped  dry.  I  have  not  any  ideas  and  I  ought  not  to  be  presiding.  But 
the  powers  that  be  have  said  that  it  was  my  duly  to  do  so,  and  therefore 
I  am  here.  If  I  have  not  said  it  before,  and  if  the  gentleman  who  told  me 
the  story  were  not  here,  I  don't  know  but  that  I  should  try  to  get  off  that 
same  old  joke,  and  that  is  that  my  speech  is  like  the  tail  of  a  yellow  dog, 
it  is  bound  to  occur,  but  that  I  will  try  and  not  have  it  like  the  tail  of  a 
cat,  that  is,  fur  to  the  end. 

For  the  last  few  days  we  have  been  revelling  in  history.  We  have 
talked  history  from  morning  till  night.  We  have  not  only  talked  of  his- 
tory, but  we  have  talked  of  the  future.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  about 
time  to  talk  of  the  present,  because,  while  we  may  look  back  on  the  past, 
and  we  may  surmise  as  to  the  future,  the  present  is  here;  it  is  the  vital 
thing  that  we  have  with  us  all  the  time,  and  we  should,  to  the  best  of  our 
ability,  think  of  the  present.  We  should  think  of  the  things  that  are  going 
on  at  this  time  in  our  country.  We  should  try  and  do  what  we  can  to 
assist  in  making  those  things  the  best  possible.  I  know  of  no  one  who  can 
do  more  for  us  along  this  line  than  the  speaker  whom  I  am  going  to  intro- 
duce to  you  in  just  a  moment,  because  no  one  is  in  a  better  position  to 
know  of  the  present,  no  one  is  in  a  better  position  to  know  of  the  aims  and 
the  objects  of  our  government  than  he.  We,  in  our  State,  have  aims  and 
objects  at  the  present  time,  and  in  our  Republic  we  have  aims  and  objects, 
and  because  I  believe  that  we  should  know  something  about  them  at  this 
time  I  am  going  to  introduce  to  you  our  most  distinguished,  our  most 
beloved  President  of  the  United  States.     (Applause.) 


282  State  of  New  York 


The  Burlington  Banquet:     President  Taft  Speaks 

President  TafT — Governor  Prouiy,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  The  Governor 
has  referred  to  the  fact  that  we  have  been  talking  for  three  days,  and  each  time  we 
have  had  to  talk,  the  question  has  been,  who  should  be  offered  up,  or  who  should 
be  given  to  the  audience  as  the  burnt  offering,  that  is,  who  should  be  selected  as 
the  first  speaker,  and  deprived  of  the  opportunity  to  get  ideas  from  those  who  follow 
him.  Governor  Hughes  has  figured  in  that  capacity  several  times  in  New  York, 
acting  as  a  proper  host.  To-night  I  am  offered.  (Laughter.)  Perhaps  because 
the  train  leaves  early,  perhaps  because  it  is  my  turn.  I  don't  suppose  that 
audiences  realize  in  post-prandial  discussions,  as  you  call  it  formally  in  your  pro- 
gramme, how  much  you  lose  by  reason  of  the  presence  of  the  press,  and  the  reporting 
of  what  is  said.  No  speaker  likes  to  go  into  the  light  and  frivolous  if  he  is  going 
to  face  it  in  amber  and  in  cold  print  the  next  morning,  and  yet  a  great  many  things 
might  be  said  under  the  influence  and  inspiration  of  such  a  presence  as  this  that 
would  pass  for  coin  that  the  next  morning  seem  spurious,  and  I  may  say  have  the 
air  and  taste  of  a  chestnut. 

Now,  one  of  the  stories  and  experiences  that  comes  to  me  to-night  at  the  end  of 
these  three  days  is  that  of  George  Fred  Williams  of  Massachusetts,  who  attended 
a  meeting  in  celebration  of  the  completion  of  the  bridge  at  St.  Louis.  They  gave 
him  the  hospitality  that  that  region  is  famous  for,  for  a  day  or  two,  continued 
from  hour  to  hour,  and  finally  he  was  called  upon  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
at  the  closing  banquet  to  say  what  he  had  to  say  to  the  people  of  Memphis,  and 
what  he  said  was  "  People  of  Memphis,  we  of  Massachusetts  thank  you  for  your 
ferocious  hospitality."  (Laughter.)  I  only  want  to  say  that  if  there  be  any 
similarity  between  our  two  experiences,  it  is  fitting  that  this  one  should  end,  as  it 
certainly  does  end,  in  spite  of  the  decorations,  in  a  gymnasium.      (Laughter.) 

I  would  not  object  to  make  two  and  three  speeches  a  day,  even  with  the  presence 
of  every  member  of  the  distinguished  company  of  the  travelling  show  of  which  I 
am  a  part  (laughter),  if  it  were  not  that  at  least  two  and  sometimes  three  of  those 
speeches  have  to  be  made  to  the  same  audience,  and  therefore,  the  jokes  and  the 
repartee  and  the  light  persiflage  and  the  badinage  cannot  be  repeated,  and  when 
the  distance  is  only  across  the  lake,  you  are  very  much  afraid  that  some  of  the 
audience  may  have  been  in  New  York  as  well  to  hear  those  acute  remarks  that 
you  so  pride  yourself  on  in  your  first  speech.  (Laughter.)  And  that  is  one 
difficulty  about  a  late  speech.  When  you  get  into  your  first  speech  you  always 
forget  that  you  ought  to  keep  something  in  reserve,  and  you  let  go  of  both  barrels, 
and  there  is  nothing  left.  (Laughter.)  And  so  this  morning  I  referred  to  the  fact 
that  I  have  great  pride  in  my  Vermont  ancestry,  and  I  intend  to  repeat  that  to-night. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  283 


I  have  often  seriously  studied  the  question  why  it  was  that  there  seemed  to  be  a 
distinctive  character  and  a  peculiar  individuality  in  Vermont  men.  I  suppose  it  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  problems  that  the  Vermont  men  had  to  solve  when  they 
came  here  from  Massachusetts  and  otherwheres  were  so  difhcult  that  they  neces- 
sarily developed  all  the  traits  of  character  which  we  call  virtue.  (Applause.) 
They  certainly  did  not  find  any  opportunity  for  luxury  here  that  would  destroy 
their  energy  and  enterprise.  They  made,  therefore,  a  safe  and  conservative  people. 
If  I  were  to  describe  the  Vermonter  in  one  word,  I  would  say  he  was  a  safe  man, 
safe  for  himself,  safe  for  his  family,  safe  for  his  State  and  safe  for  the  nation. 
(Applause.)  His  experience  was  not  unlike,  and  his  standing  in  our  community 
is  not  unlike  that  of  the  canny  Scotch  in  Great  Britain.  Nobody  ever  got  ahead 
of  a  Scotchman  in  a  trade,  and  I  have  yet  to  hear  of  the  Vermonter  that  has  been 
left  in  that  regard.  (Laughter.)  You  came  here  and  found  a  large  agricultural 
crop  of  rocks,  and  you  went  to  quarrying  and  you  developed  the  greatest  marble 
quarries  in  the  world,  and  then  when  marble  ceased  to  be  stylish,  you  developed 
the  greatest  granite  quarry.  And  then  it  is  very  well  when  you  are  engaged  in 
selling  and  buying  goods,  to  have  a  little  control  of  the  things  that  determine  how 
much,  and  so  you  organized  the  greatest  scale  factory  that  there  is  in  the  world. 

We  heard  a  great  deal  about  your  deserted  farms  at  one  time.  Whether  that 
was  put  forth  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  innocent  outsiders  to  come  in,  or  whether 
it  really  represented  an  actual  condition,  certainly  it  has  passed.  I  do  not  think 
there  are  any  deserted  farms  in  Vermont  to-day.  The  housevsafe  has  ceased  to  be 
uncomfortable;  the  milk  is  sold  or  sent  to  a  creamery  in  such  a  way  that  she  is  now 
enjoying  a  luxury  that  farmers'  wives  in  the  past  generation  never  did,  and  the 
statistics  show  that  you  are  putting  aside  a  pretty  penny  every  year  on  account  of 
your  dairy  products.  In  other  words,  you  have  wrestled  with  the  problem  and  you 
have  made  a  great  success.  You  are  not  all  millionaires,  but  you  are  all  in  that 
condition  of  respectable  wealth,  or  respectable  poverty  that  are  the  two  best  con- 
ditions to  make  a  good  people.  (Applause.)  You  preserve  your  traditions  just 
as  the  English  did,  and  accomplish  reforms  though  you  do  preserve  your  traditions. 
You  elect  your  judges  by  the  legislature,  I  should  think  in  a  way  that  might  be 
improved;  and  you  elect  them  every  one  year  or  two  years,  I  forget  which,  but 
whatever  it  is,  the  tenure  of  office  is  practically  for  life,  because  you  believe  that 
when  you  have  got  a  good  thing  you  ought  to  keep  it.  So,  too,  with  respect  to 
your  Congressmen  and  your  Senators.  You  have  learned  that  the  way  to  exercise 
an  influence  in  Washington  far  beyond  anything  that  your  population  entitles  you 
to,  is  to  keep  your  Congressmen  and  your  Senators  there.      (Applause.) 


284  State  of  New  York 


It  is  a  great  pleasure  and  a  great  honor  for  me  to  say  that  even  in  my  short 
career  I  knew  and  have  the  honor  of  knowing  well,  for  a  man  of  my  age,  your 
distinguished  Senator  Justin  S.  Morrill.  (Applause.)  That  I  had  a  similar  benefit 
in  knowing  well  your  distinguished  Senator  George  F.  Edmunds  (applause),  and 
also  that  rara  avis,  a  Vermont  Democrat,  that  able  jurist,  that  great  diplomat, 
Edward  J.  Phelps.      (Applause.) 

Now  I  have  been  a  good  deal  interested  in  trying  to  break  up  in  a  sense  —  not 
exactly  in  a  political  sense,  but  in  the  sense  that  you  all  understand  it,  that  of 
feeling  and  sentiment  —  the  solid  South.  And  when  I  have  suggested  that,  the 
irreverent  southern  politician  has  suggested  that  it  is  about  time  to  break  up  the 
solid  North,  and  reference  is  made  to  the  fact  that  Vermont  is  just  about  as  solid 
as  Alabama  and  Georgia.  (Applause.)  Well,  what  the  effect  on  Vermont  would 
be  if  the  South  were  really  to  break  up  and  some  of  those  States  become  Republi- 
can, perhaps  we  cannot  say.  It  is  my  own  theory  that  Vermont  and  many  another 
northern  State  has  been  made  solidly  Republican  because  there  was  a  solid  South, 
and  that  one  of  the  benefits  of  breaking  up  a  solid  South  would  be  that  there  would 
be  no  solidity  anywhere  on  sectional  lines.      (Applause.) 

But  one  thing  I  am  bound  to  say,  that  even  if  Republican  majorities  are  pretty 
certain  in  Vermont,  there  is  something  about  a  Republican  majority  in  every  four 
years  that  a  man  who  has  been  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  studies  with  most 
anxious  concern,  and  that  is,  whether  the  majority  of  the  people  that  favor  the 
Republican  ticket  in  Vermont  at  a  Presidential  election  shall  amount  to  more  than 
20,000,  for  if  they  don't  the  Republican  candidate  may  as  well  make  no  arrange- 
ments, or  rather  ought  to  make  other  arrangements,  for  the  next  four  years. 
(Applause.) 

One  of  the  things  that  I  congratulate  Vermont  on  and  the  Vermont  management 
is,  that  at  their  banquet  they  have  ladies  present,  not  only  to  sneak  in  at  the  end 
and  hear  the  speeches,  but  to  partake  of  the  fare  and  the  good-fellowship. 
(Applause.)  And  without  making  invidious  comparisons,  I  think  this  plan  is  a 
great  improvement  over  the  one  we  had  last  night. 

Now,  my  friends,  I  am  going  back,  as  the  Governor  did  not  go  back,  to  the 
historical  events  of  which  these  various  meetings  have  been  a  memorial.  We  have 
discussed  at  considerable  length  the  effect  of  this  memorial  upon  our  international 
relations.  It  cannot  but  be  good.  It  is,  as  I  said  this  morning,  a  memorial  that  in 
this  regard  you  cannot  match  the  world  over.  (Applause.)  But  what  I  am 
especially  glad  to  welcome  is  the  intimacy  of  relation  that  such  memorials  as  this 
are  apt  to  increase  between  this  country  and  Canada.  (Applause.)  We  have  been 
going  ahead  so  rapidly  in  our  own  country,  and  our  heads  have  been  somewhat 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  285 


swelled  with  the  idea  that  we  were  carrying  on  our  shoulders  all  the  progress  that 
there  was  in  the  world.  Well,  that  is  not  true,  as  you  will  realize  when  you  think 
a  moment.  And  we  have  not  been  conscious,  or  as  fully  conscious  as  we  ought  to 
be,  that  there  is  on  our  north,  with  a  border  line  between  it  and  us  of  some  5,000 
miles,  a  young  country  and  a  young  nation  that  is  looking  forward,  as  well  it  may, 
to  a  great  national  future.  They  have  nine  millions  of  people,  but  the  country  is 
still  hardly  scratched ;  it  is  still  undeveloped.  They  have  two  great  strains  —  the 
French  and  the  English.  They  are  under  a  government  abroad  to  which  both  strains 
acknowledge  full  loyalty,  which  has  exhibited  a  great  wisdom  in  its  treatment  of  the 
Dominion,  and  in  giving  to  the  Dominion  a  practical  and  almost  a  complete 
autonomy.  The  bond  between  them  and  the  mother  country  is  sweet,  but  light, 
and  there  is  nothing  that  prevents  the  indulging  on  the  part  of  each,  whether  French 
or  English,  in  the  traditional  pride  of  the  race  of  each.  Now,  they  are  going  on; 
they  are  building  railroads;  they  are  exercising  great  discretion  in  the  West,  and 
they  are  taking  from  us  many  of  our  best  farmers  who  are  in  search  of  rich  wheat 
fields  in  the  West.  All  these  things,  if  we  adopted  a  short-sighted  policy,  would 
perhaps  arouse  in  us  a  jealousy,  and  a  desire  to  prevent  a  growth  on  their  part  into 
what  we  might  regard  as  a  competitor  of  ours.  That  I  think  is  a  most  short- 
sighted policy.  They  can't  have  a  prosperity  with  their  neighborhood  to  us  that  we 
cannot  and  must  not  share.  (Applause.)  And  we  cannot  have  a  prosperity  on 
our  side  that  they  will  not  derive  a  benefit  from.  Therefore  each  may  look  upon 
the  growth  of  the  other  with  entire  complacency  and  with  an  earnest  desire  that 
the  ideals  and  ambitions  that  they  have  formed  may  be  carried  to  fruition;  and  I 
am  glad  to  feel,  from  a  national  standpoint,  that  these  celebrations,  these  memorials, 
are  a  permanent  step  forward  in  bringing  about  that  union  of  feeling  and  sentiment 
and  neighborhood  effect  that  ought  to  be  encouraged  between  those  two  great 
powers  on  the  North  American  continent.      (Applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  —  During  the  progress  of  this  traveling  show  there 
has  been  one  act  which  has  always  appeared  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
gramme. I  expect  as  it  started  in  New  York  that  it  had  all  been  prepared 
beforehand,  but  now  that  it  has  come  to  Vermont,  things  are  rather  dif- 
ferent. After  the  speech  we  heard  this  morning  from  the  next  gentleman 
I  shall  introduce,  it  became  very  evident  to  us  that  we  had  exhausted  his 
ideas  and  that  therefore  we  would  have  to  place  him  at  the  end  of  the 
programme  hereafter  in  order  to  have  him  say  anything,  and  therefore, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  he  is  placed  there  to-night.     I  trust  he  has  imbibed 


286  State  of  New  York 

a  little  inspiration,  which  I  trust  you  also  have  imbibed,  and  that  he  will 
be  able  to  give  a  little  of  it  to  you  to-night.  I  introduce  to  you,  or  rather 
I  present  to  you  Governor  Hughes  of  New  York. 

Governor  Hughes  at  the  Burlington  Banquet 

Governor  HuGHES  —  Governor  Prout^,  Friends  of  Vermont,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen:  The  troupe  has  disbanded;  the  chief  actors  have  played  their  part; 
the  leading  man  has  gone  his  way;  nothing  remains  but  for  one  of  the  supers  to 
roll  up  the  rugs  and,  in  a  tired  and  sleepy  state,  wend  his  way  home.     (Laughter.) 

Two  thoughts  have  crowded  upon  me  as  I  have  imbibed  inspiration  —  and 
nothing  else.  (Laughter.)  The  one  is  that  if  Champlain,  as  he  started  on  that 
memorable  day,  had  seen  the  vision  of  this  valley  and  the  Democracy  of  the  future 
working  out  its  problems  in  contrast  with  the  France  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  and  if  in 
particular  he  had  witnessed  in  imagination  the  events  of  this  week  and  had  been 
compelled  to  listen  to  the  addresses  that  have  been  delivered  —  in  prophetic  antici- 
pation of  the  consequences  of  his  act  —  would  he  have  had  the  nerve  to  discover 
us?      (Laughter.) 

The  other  thought  that  has  occurred  to  me  is  that  the  Champlain  Valley,  per 
square  mile,  has  got  more  out  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the  French 
and  English  Ambassadors  than  any  other  section  of  this  country.  (Laughter.)  If 
there  had  been  no  Champlain  we  ought  to  have  invented  one,  to  have  a  celebration 
like  this.  It  is  worth  while  to  bring  together  such  a  combination  of  intellect  and 
ability,  and  such  a  representation  of  great  powers,  as  this  valley  has  witnessed  this 
week.  We  have  seen  one  of  the  noblest  specimens  of  American  manhood  that  have 
adorned  the  chair  of  the  Chief  Executive  (applause),  a  man  in  whose  clear  eyes 
is  no  guile,  who  means  what  he  says  and  does  plainly  what  he  proposes,  who  speaks 
candid  and  straightforward  words  to  his  fellow  citizens.  It  was  worth  all  this 
celebration  has  cost,  to  give  to  our  people  this  intimate  association  with  President 
Taft.  (Applause.)  We  have  brought  here  the  brilliant  exponent  of  the  traditions 
of  France,  a  cultivated,  distinguished  representative  of  the  race  which  Champlain 
honored.  We  have  had  no  one  among  all  those  who  have  so  worthily  represented 
this  friendly  nation  across  the  sea,  who  in  such  measure  has  won  our  esteem,  by 
reason  of  his  attainments,  his  spiritual  appreciation,  his  regard  for  our  American 
ideals,  his  sympathetic  approach  to  our  people;  no  one  more  dear  to  our  hearts, 
more  highly  commended  to  our  judgment  than  Ambassador  Jusserand.  And  to 
think  that  our  cup  should  be  filled  until  it  runs  over  by  giving  us  in  addition  our  old 
friend.  Ambassador  Bryce,  the  man  that  every  American  student  knows  as  his 
teacher,  the  man  that  every  intelligent  American  citizen  knows  as  his  mentor,  to 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  287 


whom  we  look  for  advice  and  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness,  to  point 
clear  the  trail  of  Democratic  success.  What  a  representative  of  old  Mother  Eng- 
land! (Applause.)  Despite  the  fatigue  of  this  moment  and  the  extreme  effort 
that  it  costs  to  say  anything,  I  should  like  to  travel  in  that  company  as  long  as  I 
could  stand  on  my  feet,  and  if  I  could  do  no  more  than  say  "  ditto  "  in  a  faint 
voice,  I  would  go  with  them  to  the  end.      (Applause.) 

Now,  I  have  mentioned  these  nations  not  intending  to  disparage  our  friends 
from  Canada,  because  they  have  not  risen  yet  to  that  altitude  of  national  life  —  but 
when  you  need  a  dramatic  company  doing  a  continuous  performance  of  this  sort, 
they  play  a  role  second  to  none  (applause),  and  so  we  rejoice  in  our  Canadian 
friends,  and  marvel  at  the  exuberance  of  their  eloquence.  I  am  not  going  to  say 
anything  about  "  ice  "  or  "  snow."  I  was  taken  severely  to  task  for  that.  I  was 
informed  I  had  committed  an  unpardonable  affront  in  saying  anything  about  ice 
and  snow  in  Canada,  and  after  my  last  heart  to  heart  talk  with  the  Postmaster- 
General  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  I  am  prepared  to  asseverate  that  the  chmate 
there  has  changed  (laughter),  and  I  know  what  has  changed  it.  It  is  the  warmth 
of  the  hearts  of  those  Frenchmen  under  an  English  flag.     (Laughter  and  applause.) 

Oh,  if  we  could  only  count  up  the  value  of  this  reunion  and  celebration.  The 
trouble  is  we  can't  weigh  it  in  ordinary  scales ;  we  can't  measure  it  wath  a  commercial 
yard-stick;  it  is  difficult  to  grasp.  If  our  boys  and  girls  will  only  begin  really  to 
love  American  history!  I  have  said  several  times  that  if  there  had  been  anything 
more  discovered  in  I  609,  the  State  would  have  been  bankrupted ;  these  celebrations 
are  costly  —  it  was  very  thoughtless  of  Champlain  and  Hudson  to  do  this  thing 
in  one  year.  (Laughter.)  They  evidently  were  not  prophets.  Whatever  they 
were  in  the  way  of  discoverers,  they  didn't  see  the  burdens  they  were  laying  upon 
an  unsuspecting  progeny.  (Laughter.)  But  if  our  children  would  only  love 
American  history!  It  is  too  bad  that  it  is  taught  so  much  in  the  early  years,  before 
the  import  of  it  is  apprehended,  or  can  justly  be  appreciated.  I  do  not  know  what 
courses  you  have  in  the  University  of  Vermont,  but  I  suppose  you  have  everything 
that  you  ought  to  have,  and  more,  too,  like  most  universities.  But  I  do  wish  that 
in  our  colleges  our  boys  would  get  "  chock  full  "  of  American  history.  Not  simply 
a  little  constitutional  history  at  the  end  of  the  course  —  with  a  faint  remembrance 
of  some  dates  learned  in  the  secondary  school,  but  without  any  real  knowledge  of 
what  has  happened  to  their  country  in  the  course  of  its  development.  It  will  do  us 
all  good  if  we  go  back  to  our  school  books,  and  with  access  of  interest  study  the 
history  of  the  land  which  we  profess  to  love,  and  do  love.  And  then  if  we  would 
only  safeguard  some  of  our  sacred  spots,  some  of  those  treasure  places  of  the  fancy, 
some  of  these  rich  soils  for  the  imagination,  and  prevent  the  desecrating  touch! 
Think  of  the  battlefield  of  Saratoga!      It  ought  to  be  preserved  as  a  Mecca  for 


288  State  of  New  York 


good  Americans  and  for  good  Britishers,  too,  because  we  can  all  go  to  Saratoga 
to-day  with  clasped  hands  and  friendly  words  and  talk  over  the  old  campaign  in 
amity.  We  must  do  more  and  more  of  this  work  of  memorializing,  of  preserving. 
We  cannot  be  true  Americans  simply  by  studying  present  day  problems  as  such, 
unrelated  to  the  past.  We  cannot  achieve  the  destiny  which  we  should  achieve  by 
mere  introspection  or  by  dealing  with  what  lies  immediately  around  us.  The  best 
study  for  the  man  of  action  is  biography;  the  best  study  for  the  statesman  is  history, 
and  as  all  boys  are  prospective  statesmen  in  this  country,  they  ought  to  be  thoroughly 
charged  and  recharged  with  history,  and  with  biography  of  men  of  light  and  leading. 

We  have  gathered  together  these  representatives  of  the  nations,  and  that  forms 
a  guarantee  of  peace.  Why,  we  could  never  have  any  trouble  with  France  or  with 
England  after  this  week.  (Laughter  and  applause.)  It  is  impossible  to  think  of 
it.  We  have  strengthened  the  bonds  of  our  international  friendship.  But  after  all, 
we  don't  have  peace  for  the  sake  of  peace,  we  don't  have  peace  simply  to  have  an 
absence  of  bloodshed,  desirable  as  that  is.  We  do  not  have  celebrations  merely 
to  honor  the  character  of  famous  men  of  the  past.  We  want  peace  to  provide  a 
proper  basis  for  obtaining  the  right  rewards  of  industry,  to  secure  the  resources  of 
leisure,  and  to  make  certain  the  foundation  of  social  justice.      (Applause.) 

We  have  peace.  What  shall  we  do  with  it?  We  have  the  inspiration  of  the 
high  mindedness  of  Champlain,  of  the  purity  and  loyalty  of  Montcalm;  we  have 
the  inspiration  of  the  splendid  soldierly  qualities  of  Lord  Howe;  you  have  in  Ver- 
mont inspiration  from  a  thousand  sons  who  have  done  honor  to  the  commonwealth. 
But  what  shall  we  do  with  it?  Here  we  are  now,  inspired,  fully  inspired,  filled 
with  a  week  of  inspiration  from  the  most  powerful  sources.  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  it?  My  friends,  it  is  not  that  we  should  turn  to  whimsical  schemes  of 
legislation,  or  that  we  should  consult  the  fancy  for  some  novel  method  of  meeting 
the  difficulties  of  the  day;  it  is  not  that  we  should  suppose  that  by  some  divine  gift 
we  may  find  a  new  procedure  by  which  all  obstacles  may  be  satisfactorily  over- 
come. Let  us  make  our  present  institutions  work  as  they  ought  to  work,  and  execute 
our  laws  without  favoritism  and  run  our  politics  wnthout  corrupt  rings.  Let  our 
officers  do  their  duty  according  to  the  statutes,  impartially,  and  with  love  of  justice. 
Let  our  citizens  appreciate  their  opportunity  under  institutions  designed  to  give 
equality  of  civil  rights.  Then  we  shall  realize  what  peace  is  intended  to  bestow, 
and  what  the  world's  amity  may  help  us  to  secure.      (Great  applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  289 

Governor  Prouty  —  The  burnt  offering  gave  us  a  pretty  good  key- 
note. The  next  speaker  whom  I  will  introduce  to  you  is  one  that  I  can 
say  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  am  pleased  to  see  here  to-night.  From 
my  associations  with  him  during  the  past  few  days  I  have  come  to  learn 
of  his  true  worth,  of  his  sterlmg  qualities,  and  of  his  delightful  companion- 
ship. I  have  found  him  a  gentleman  who  loves  this  country  —  I  mean  that 
he  has  respect  for  it,  and  I  believe  he  does  have  the  same  love  for  it  that 
the  nation  he  represents  always  has  had.  It  is  therefore  with  great  plea- 
sure that  I  introduce  to  you  now  the  Ambassador  of  France. 

Remarks  of  Ambassador  Jusserand 

Ambassador  JusSERAND  —  Mr.  President,  Covernor  Prouty,  Your  Excellencies, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  A  modest  member  of  the  travelling  show,  I  have  to  go 
back  to  Washington  following  the  President  himself.  We  are  lured  there  by  no 
lake  bluer  than  yours,  no  cooler  breeze,  no  siren's  song,  but  by  a  thing,  the  magnetic 
attraction  of  which,  we  cannot  resist.     It  is  called  the  tariff. 

Yielding  to  it,  I  must  however,  before  beginning  our  journey  south  express  to 
you  my  thanks  and  congratulations  for  the  ceremonies  at  which  we  have  been 
present  for  the  last  three  days.  We  owe  the  credit  for  their  beauty,  and  the  pleasure 
derived  from  them  to  the  hospitable  and  friendly  disposition  of  the  people  of  New 
York  and  the  people  of  Vermont;  to  the  two  Commissions  which  devised  with 
such  success  so  artistic  a  programme,  and  to  the  eloquent  Governors  of  those  two 
States,  our  honored  leaders  during  these  days.  We  owe  credit  also  to  another 
personage  of  some  importance  on  this  occasion,  namely  Champlain  himself.  Cham- 
plain  was  a  right  man  to  commemorate,  and  when  you  choose  a  right  man,  the 
commemoration  cannot  fail  to  go  very  well. 

My  friend  and  colleague,  the  British  Ambassador,  spoke  this  morning  of  the 
future  and  what  would  take  place  50  or  100  years  from  now.  His  true  description 
and  prophecy  are  the  more  striking  when  you  look  back  and  think  of  the  past.  What 
was  that  past?  The  news  of  America  reaching  old  Europe  when  Champlain  was 
living  on  this  side  of  the  water  does  not  resemble  much  those  now  daily  flashed 
across  the  ocean.  In  one  of  his  plays,  that  great  dramatist,  second  only  to  Shakes- 
peare, Ben  Jonson,  has  given  us  a  sample  of  such  news  dating  from  the  time  when 
Champlain  was  living  in  Quebec;  and  the  sample  is  as  follows: 

*     *     *    We  hear  of  a  colony  of  cooks 
To  be  set  ashore  o'  the  coast  of  America, 
For  the  conversion  of  the  cannibals. 
And  making  them  good  eating  Christians. 
20 


290  State  of  New  York 


What  progress  since  then!  This  very  banquet  where  the  refined  tastes  of 
"  good  eating  Christians  "  have  been  so  well  satisfied  is  a  sufficient  proof  thereof, 
and  may  be  accepted  as  the  token  and  emblem  of  the  progress  accomplished  in 
all  that  concerns  man's  life  on  these  shores.  Senator  Root  in  an  admirable  address, 
the  other  day,  explained  why  the  mighty  changes  which  have  occurred  did  occur, 
and  he  pointed  out  the  considerable  part  played  by  his  own  friends,  the  hot-headed 
Iroquois.  To  them  we  owe  certainly  a  debt  of  gratitude,  since  it  is  due  to  them, 
as  we  heard,  that  Senator  Root  himself  speaks  Enghsh,  and  pretty  good  English, 
too.  But  giving  their  due  to  the  Iroquois,  I  beg  to  recall  that  there  were  other 
causes  at  play  and  that  if  the  French  flag  does  not  cover  any  more  this  part  of 
the  earth  supplementary  motives  should  be  taken  into  consideration.  There  was  once 
a  battle  and  there  was  in  that  battle  a  soldier  fighting  on  the  top  of  an  entrench- 
ment, and  the  people  behind  him  were  shouting  to  him,  saying:  "  Be  brave,  be 
brave!  "  And  the  soldier  looked  back  and  said:  "  I  am  brave,  but  I  am  not 
numerous  enough."  It  was  the  same  with  us,  we  were  brave  but  we  were  not 
numerous  enough.  We  were  not  numerous  enough;  a  friendly  flag  but  not  ours 
waves  o'er  these  regions;  but  we  have  not  disappeared  from  them;  French  blood  and 
French  language  are  now  abundantly  represented  here;  so  much  so  that  I  must 
take  the  liberty  of  turning,  with  your  permission  to  my  kinsmen  in  this  very  assembly 
and  of  addressing  a  few  words  to  them. 

(The  Ambassador  then  spoke  in  French.) 

The  France  of  to-day  has  every  reason  to  join  you  in  your  tributes  to  the 
memory  of  her  illustrious  son  Champlain;  for  the  examples  he  left  have  not  been 
forgotten  and  the  task  he  attempted  three  centuries  ago  on  these  shores  has  been 
resumed  by  France  on  others  in  our  own  days.  Since  we  have  been  a  Republic, 
we  have  prodigiously  increased  our  colonial  empire  not  merely  to  our  own  private 
good:  lands  of  human  sacrifice  have  become  lands  of  prosperous  trade  and  of 
quiet  development.  In  no  way  has  France  better  shown  her  undying  vitality  than 
by  producing  so  many  modern  discoverers  and  civilizers  of  remote  regions,  by  produc- 
ing new  Champlains. 

Many  of  the  words  spoken  during  these  past  days  have  deeply  touched  me,  as 
they  showed  that,  in  your  mind,  the  France  of  now  was  associated  with  the  France 
of  old  who  sent  here  the  worthy  whose  deeds  we  are  celebrating.  For  those  feelings 
of  sympathy  so  warmly  expressed,  in  the  course  of  these  memorable  celebrations,  the 
respected  chief  of  the  State  giving  the  example,  the  Representative  of  the  French 
Republic  expresses  to  you  the  gratitude  of  his  nation. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  291 

Governor  Prouty  —  I  have  been  very  much  interested  to-day  in  lis- 
tening to  the  addresses  which  have  been  made,  and  I  think  we  must  all  of 
us  have  realized,  especially  since  the  last,  that  probably  there  has  not 
been  very  much  done  except  by  Frenchmen;  at  the  same  time  there  rs 
always  two  sides  to  a  question,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  other  side 
ought  to  have  something  to  say  now,  and  no  one  can  represent  the  other 
side  better  than  the  gentleman  that  I  shall  introduce.  Ambassador  Bryce 
of  England. 

Remarks  of  Ambassador  Bryce 

Ambassador  Bryce  —  Mr.  Covernor,  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
I  must  decline  the  arduous  though  no  doubt  magnificent  task  which  your  Governor 
would  lay  upon  me  of  maintaining  the  claims  of  my  country  to  her  share  in  the 
making  of  the  civilization  of  the  world.  That  strolling  company  which  has  been 
referred  to  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  now  giving  its  very  last  per- 
formance for  this  season;  and  although,  speaking  for  one  member  of  that  company, 
he  is  exceedingly  sorry  to  depart  from  the  Green  Mountains  and  Lake  Champlain, 
yet  he  is  sensible  that  after  three  speeches  a  day  —  and  this  is  the  third  day  of  it  — 
his  ideas  are  all  gone  and  nothing  is  left  but  a  flow  of  words.  I  therefore  rise, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  only  to  say  two  things,  which  can  be  said  very  shortly. 

The  first  is  to  render  to  you  my  hearty  thanks  for  the  great  kindness  of  your 
invitation  here  and  for  the  immense  pleasure  which  it  has  given  me  to  be  present 
and  take  part  in  this  celebration.  I  have  never  been  at  any  celebration  which  has 
brought  to  one's  mind  a  greater  variety  of  ideas,  which  has  more  set  one  thinking 
upon  all  sorts  of  things,  past,  present  and  future,  and  which  has  suggested  a  large 
number  of  new  hghts  upon  the  history  of  this  part  of  your  continent. 

The  other  thing  I  have  to  do,  is  to  call  attention  to  one  subject  which  among 
all  the  speeches  that  have  been  delivered  during  these  festivities  in  the  State  of 
Vermont  and  the  State  of  New  York  has  never  yet  been  alluded  to;  and  yet  that 
subject  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  important  of  them  all;  because  when  you  have 
talked  about  the  beauties  of  the  lake,  and  the  early  dwellers  along  the  lake  and 
the  discovery  of  and  the  navigation  of  the  lake  and  the  battles  that  have  been  fought 
round  the  lake,  you  ought  to  say  something  about  the  population  of  the  lake.  And 
nobody  yet  has  said  one  word  about  the  fish.      (Laughter.) 

Now  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fish  in  Lake 
Champlain.  It  is  a  subject  of  great  importance.  I  am  surprised  to  see  a  smile. 
It  is  not  a  laughing  matter  at  all.  It  might  very  nearly  have  become  a  crying 
matter.     The  presence  of  fish  was  observed  by  Champlain  himself,  as  my  friend 


292  State  of  New  York 


the  French  Ambassador  remarked  yesterday.  The  fish  were  noted  by  Champlain 
as  being  large  and  abundant.  Now,  those  fish  are  still  a  very  important  element  in 
the  value  of  the  lake.  They  are  migratory  in  their  habits.  They  move  from 
United  States  waters  into  Canadian  waters  and  back  again,  and  the  taking  of  them 
is  an  important  industry  both  for  United  States  fishermen  and  for  Canadian  fisher- 
men. Now  here,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  you  have  all  the  materials  for  a  quarrel 
of  the  first  magnitude.  Those  of  you  who  know  history  —  and  on  these  historic 
shores  I  may  assume  that  history  is  one  of  your  favorite  studies  —  know  that  there 
is  no  subject  about  which  more  international  troubles  and  quarrels  have  arisen  than 
the  subject  of  fish,  and  you  know  when  anything  has  got  into  a  great  mess,  we 
say  it  is  a  "  pretty  kettle  of  fish." 

Now,  on  this  question  of  fish  there  was  here  the  opportunity  for  a  very  pretty 
quarrel  to  have  arisen.  There  were  complaints  on  the  part  of  the  Vermont  fisher- 
men, and  complaints  also  from  many  of  the  Canadian  fishermen,  about  the  way 
in  which  the  other  traders  conducted  fishing  operations,  and  feeling  was  getting 
quite  hot.  But  what  happened?  The  United  States  Government  proposed  to 
my  Government  to  make  a  treaty  which  should  regulate  the  fisheries  of  all  the  great 
border  lakes,  including  Lake  Champlain,  and  the  Canadian  Government  and  His 
Britannic  Majesty's  Government  at  home  gladly  welcomed  that  proposition.  Mr. 
Root  and  I  conferred  upon  the  subject  and  agreed  on  the  terms  of  a  treaty,  and 
under  that  treaty  the  two  Governments  have  appointed  Commissioners,  one  for  you 
and  one  for  us,  and  those  Commissioners  are  now  making  regulations  for  the  con- 
duct of  the  fisheries.  Those  regulations  are,  I  believe,  likely  to  give  general  satis- 
faction to  those  who  understand  the  subject,  and  in  particular  to  those  fishermen 
living  along  Lake  Champlain.  Thus  I  may  say  we  feel  confident  that  by  means 
of  this  treaty  and  under  these  new  regulations  all  causes  of  dispute  will  be  avoided, 
and  the  supply  of  fish  will  be  largely  increased.  This  is  the  last  incident  in  the 
history  of  Lake  Champlain.  It  is  a  very  agreeable  sequel  to  the  former  wars  of 
French  and  English  and  Americans.  It  is  an  omen  for  good  relations  in  all  other 
matters  when  a  question  relating  to  so  delicate  a  subject  as  fish  can  be  amicably 
settled. 

And  now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  as  I  have  referred  to  Canada,  I  desire  to  thank 
the  President  of  the  United  States  on  behalf  of  my  countrymen  —  that  is  to  say,  of 
the  United  Kingdom  and  Canada,  for  we  are  all  one  —  I  want  to  thank  him  for 
the  v^se  and  friendly  words  that  he  has  spoken  about  Canada.  They  will  find 
an  echo  in  Canada.  I  will  not  attempt  to  add  to  his  words  because  no  one  has  so 
far  as  I  know  better  described  or  could  more  adequately  describe,  the  relations 
which  ought  to  subsist  between  those  two  nations  dwelling  in  neighborly  friendship 
and  mutual  help  on  the  same  continent.      (Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  293 

Having  made  this  acknowledgment,  let  me  say  also  that  I  have  a  little  personal 
piece  of  thanks  to  give  the  President.  He  wished  to  honor  Vermont  as  she  deserves 
to  be  honored.  He  was  good  enough  to  select  for  comparison  with  Vermont  my 
own  mother  country  of  Scotland.  I  welcome  that  comparison.  We  Scots  are 
glad  to  be  compared  with  a  State  which  in  the  robust  vigor  of  her  sons  and  in  her 
love  of  liberty  is  one  of  the  States  of  the  American  Union  to  which  my  country 
might  most  gladly  be  compared. 

I  noticed  another  similarity  (which  was  not  referred  to  by  the  President)  between 
Scotland  and  Vermont.  Both  the  men  of  Scotland  and  the  men  of  Vermont  have 
a  well-known  habit  of  emigrating  to  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  wherever  they 
emigrate  they  are  respected  and  they  prosper.  (Applause.)  I  wish  to  say  that 
I  have  met  very  many  Vermonters  and  many  Scotchmen  in  many  parts  of  this  con- 
tinent and  indeed  in  other  continents  also,  and  nearly  all  of  them  have  been  respected 
and  successful  men,  keeping  their  hearts  warm  to  the  country  whence  they  came. 

And  now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  let  me  once  more  convey  to  your  two  Governors 
and  to  each  and  all  of  you  the  hearty  greetings  of  my  country.  I  was  specially 
commissioned  and  directed  by  my  Government  to  come  here  and  represent  Great 
Britain  and  the  British  Empire  at  your  celebration  (applause),  to  assure  you  of 
the  interest  which  that  celebration  excites  among  us  and  to  tell  you  with  what 
sympathy  and  with  what  affection  Britain  follows  your  fortunes  and  rejoices  in 
your  greatness.      (Applause.) 

Governor  ProutY  —  The  pleasure  which  I  should  have  had  in  intro- 
ducing the  next  speaker  has  been  taken  away  from  me  because  he  has  been 
introduced,  at  least  his  subject  has  been  introduced,  by  one  so  much  better 
fitted  than  I  that  it  is  entirely  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  more.  When 
the  President  spoke  of  our  Canadian  friends  and  of  that  great  country  to 
the  north  of  us,  he  told  more  than  I  could  possibly  tell,  and  he  told  you 
what  we  ought  to  do  in  regard  to  that  country.  It  gives  me,  therefore, 
great  pleasure  to  introduce  to  you  a  representative  sent  here  to  help  out 
in  this  celebration,  the  Honorable  Rodolphe  Lemieux,  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral of  Canada.     (Applause.) 

Toast:     "  Canada  " —  Hon.  Rodolphe  Lemieux 

Your  Excellencies,  Mr.  Chairman  and  Cenllemen:  Although  there  is  no  toast 
to  which  I  would  be  more  desirous  of  doing  full  justice  than  that  of  Canada,  with 
which  you  have  been  kind  enough  to  couple  my  name,  yet  I  would  remind  you 
that  I  have  already  once  to-day  spoken  at  some  length,  and  I  know  that  you  will  not 


294  State  of  New  York 


therefore  expect  me  this  evening  to  attempt  to  play  the  orator.  Some  few  obvious 
remarks  are  all  that  I  shall  offer  you  on  a  subject  which  of  all  others,  would 
stimulate  eloquence  and  stir  the  imagination  —  that  of  one's  native  country.  For 
the  third  time  during  this  brilliant  week  of  pageantry  and  festival  I  find  myself 
in  the  same  gathering  with  your  distinguished  President  and  each  time  I  rejoice 
the  more  at  my  good  fortune.  For  we  in  Canada  are  almost  as  proud  of  Mr. 
Taft  being  President  as  you  are  in  the  United  States,  and  I  sometimes  find  it 
difficult  to  believe  we  are  not  really  countrymen  of  each  other.  I  was  referring 
yesterday,  Mr.  Chairman,  in  yet  another  speech  I  had  been  called  upon  to  deliver 
on  this  prolific  subject  of  Canada,  to  the  number  of  American  citizens  who  have 
lately  been  coming  into  Canada  to  live,  but  none  of  these  western  settlers  have,  I 
assure  you,  settled  in  Canada  half  as  often  as  President  Taft.  Your  President, 
Mr.  Chairman,  has  settled  down  in  Canada  promptly  at  the  beginning  of  summer 
for  several  years,  but  unfortunately  with  the  ending  of  summer  he  has  "  settled  up." 
and  left  us,  just  as  do  those  gay  feathered  visitors  whose  stay  is  all  too  short.  But 
if  we  have  not  been  able  to  keep  Mr.  Taft  with  us  we  have  returned  him  to  you 
in  good  condition  year  by  year,  for  I  am  proud  to  believe  that  no  small  share  of 
that  splendid  health,  those  buoyant  spirits  he  possesses,  are  the  fruit  of  those  glorious 
summers  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  I  promise  you  that  if  after  a  year  or  two  of  the 
cares  of  office  you  find  your  President  getting  pale  and  frail,  and  you  send  hira 
back  to  us  for  a  summer,  we  vnll  do  our  duty  faithfully  and  return  him  to  you  as 
well  as  ever. 

Nor  must  I  forget  to  point  to  a  record  claim  which  Canadians  may  well  advance 
to  part  ownership  in  your  President,  whether  as  to  Mr.  Taft  or  his  predecessor  or 
his  successor,  when  in  the  course  of  time,  some  eight,  twelve  or  sixteen  years  from 
now  he  shall  have  a  successor.  Let  me  remind  you  that  you  have  received  into 
the  republic  some  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Canadian  citizens,  men  and  women 
whom  I  admit  we  could  ill  spare,  and  whom  we  saw  with  reluctance  cross  to  your 
side  of  the  border.  But  since  they  did  not  stay  with  us  we  are  glad  at  least  that 
they  went  to  help  build  up  a  great  nation  kindred  to  our  own  and  bound  to  us 
by  an  infinite  number  of  ties.  And  we  have  not  only  helped  thus  with  our  bone 
and  sinew  to  build  up  your  nation,  we  have  not  only  sent  you  what  we  may  without 
boastfulness  claim  to  be  one  of  the  most  progressive  elements  in  your  population, 
one  that  assists  rather  than  retards  you  in  the  wonderful  process  of  race  assimilation 
in  which  the  republic  is  ceaselessly  engaged,  but  we  have  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  you  to  preserve  the  Union.  The  little  Canada  of  fifty  years  ago  sent  no  less 
than  45,000  men  to  fight  in  the  ranks  of  the  North,  to  maintain  the  ascendancy  of 
the  Stars  and  Stripes.  That  is  one  of  the  great  facts  of  history,  a  fact  which  we 
are  proud  to  remember  in  Canada,  and  which  constitutes  a  link  of  golden  sentiment. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  295 


a   bond  that   may  never   be   severed,    between   your   country   and   mine,    between 
Canadians  and  Americans. 

I  think,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  have  justified  my  statement  that  Canadians  may  claim 
part  ownership  in  your  President,  but  the  kinship  of  the  race  is  a  pleasant  subject, 
and  it  is  well  to  dwell  upon  it  yet  for  a  moment.  Our  common  language  alone 
wipes  out  a  multitude  of  barriers  such  as  commonly  exist  between  nation  and  nation, 
causing  prejudices,  confusion  and  misunderstanding,  and  enables  either  of  us  to  feel 
at  home  in  the  other's  country,  even  though  another  flag  than  our  own  flies  above  us. 
But  with  a  common  tongue  comes  a  common  literature,  and  we  in  Canada  and 
you  in  the  United  States  have  an  equal  pleasure  and  an  equal  ownership  in  the 
glories  of  English  literature.  Is  not  the  common  right  to  Shakespeare  alone  a 
constant  source  of  pride  and  joy,  a  binding  force  which  cannot  be  equalled  by  laws 
or  legislatures.  Well  has  Carlyle  said:  "  Here  is  an  English  King  whom  no 
time  or  chance,  parliament  or  continuation  of  parliaments  can  dethrone!  This 
King,  Shakespeare,  does  he  not  shine,  a  crowned  sovereignty,  over  us  all,  the 
noblest,  gentlest,  yet  strongest  of  rallying  signs,  indestructible,  really  more  valuable 
in  that  p>oint  of  view  than  any  other  means  or  appliance  whatever."  What  American 
or  Canadian  goes  to  Shakespeare's  shrine  at  Stratford  but  feels  as  strong  a  sense 
of  ownership  in  this  sovereign  of  the  intellect  as  do  those  who  still  live  in  the  island- 
cradle  of  the  race;  and  as  with  Shakespeare  so  with  the  lesser  princes  of  English 
literature.  Milton  and  Pope  and  Byron  and  Burns  and  Shelley  and  Keats  till  we 
come  down  almost  to  our  own  time  with  Browning  and  Tennyson  in  poetry  and 
Scott  and  Dickens  and  Thackeray  and  George  Eliot  and  countless  others  in  fiction; 
are  not  Ruskin  and  Carlyle  names  cherished  in  all  the  English-speaking  world, 
whether  it  be  in  Boston  or  Montreal,  in  London  or  Edinburgh,  in  Melbourne  or  in 
Johannesburg?  When  you  celebrated  a  few  years  ago  the  centenary  of  your  great 
Emerson,  the  Aristotle  of  New  England,  did  not  the  tributes  that  came  from  across 
the  Atlantic  equal  those  which  America  itself  paid  the  memory  of  the  sage?  Is 
not  a  memorial  of  the  author  of  "  Hiawatha  "  and  "  The  Village  Blacksmith," 
songs  that  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  the  new  world,  to  be  found  in  Westminster 
Abbey,  the  Valhalla  of  the  British  race?  Do  we  not  in  fact  find  the  whole 
brilliant  group  of  Nineteenth  century  New  England  poets  and  teachers  loved  and 
honored  through  all  the  English-speaking  world  —  Emerson,  Longfellow,  Holmes, 
Lowell,  Whittier.  Nor  must  I  forget  Parkman,  the  classic  historian  of  the  past 
century,  a  name  peculiarly  grateful  to  Canadian  ears  since  no  writer  has  equalled 
the  fascinating  pages  in  which  this  gifted  American  depicts  the  romance  and  the 
tragedy  of  the  pioneer  era  of  our  country.  Particularly,  too,  should  we  to-day 
remember  Parkman,  seeing  that  it  is  he  who  has  told  for  us  the  story  of  the  stirring 
events  we  are  now  celebrating.     There  is  an  entire  community  in  all  these  great 


296  State  of  New  York 

names,  a  joint  ownership  giving  us  in  Canada  rights  with  which  we  do  not  intend 
to  part,  and  weaving  ever-strengthening  ties  of  love  and  affection  between  the  kindred 
people  who  have  partnership  therein. 

I  would  remind  you,  too,  of  another  historic  navigator  whose  tercentenary  is 
celebrated  this  present  year,  Henry  Hudson,  who  stands  to  the  English  race  as 
Champlain  stands  to  the  French,  and  whose  name  is  perpetuated  in  yet  more  famous 
pieces  of  water,  the  beautiful  Hudson  river,  with  you  of  the  south  and  the  majestic 
Hudson  bay,  with  us  of  the  norrfi.  Here  once  more,  in  the  deeds  of  the  Hudson 
and  their  fruit  to-day,  we  have  the  same  division  of  ownership,  the  same  binding 
influence  of  history.  Our  past  is  inextricably  interwoven  with  yours.  Such  a  partner- 
ship gives  an  added  zest  to  the  tribute  we  yield  to  these  old  heroes  of  Europe  whose 
undaunted  hearts  and  iron  resolution  won  for  us  by  years  of  suffering  and  privation 
the  two  rich  and  wonderful  lands  we  control  to-day.  It  is  curious  to  reflect  that 
both  Champlain  and  Hudson  were  possessed  with  the  same  dream  that  inspired 
Columbus,  that  of  finding  the  road  to  the  East  by  going  West.  Hudson  believed 
he  was  on  the  way  to  China  when  he  entered  the  broad  river  that  bears  his  name, 
and  when  he  knew  he  had  failed  he  tried  again  a  year  later,  and  was  more  con- 
vinced than  ever  when  he  sailed  the  waters  of  the  great  inland  Sea  of  the  North 
that  he  had  at  last  found  the  passage  to  the  Orient.  Such  achievements  under  such 
circumstances  must  intensify  the  respect  and  veneration  in  which  we  hold  the  names 
and  memories  of  those  who  thus  slowly  and  painfully  traced  the  secrets  of  the  new 
world.  They  found  not  always  what  they  sought,  it  is  true,  but  not  infrequently 
won  their  greatest  triumphs  in  what  appeared  their  direst  failures.  If  they  won 
triumphs  at  all  under  such  circumstances  it  is  because  they  were  animated  by  high 
ideals,  by  ardent  patriotism  and  by  a  passionate  desire  to  add  to  the  strength  and 
vigor  and  glory  of  the  stock  from  which  they  sprung. 

Reverting  for  a  moment  to  Champlain,  of  whom  we  know  much  more  than 
history  tells  us  of  Hudson,  we  may  say  of  him  that  he  was  far  more  than  navigator. 
He  was  statesman  and  missionary  as  well  as  explorer,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  the  leading  spirits  of  those  who  worked  with  Champlain  were  in  their  way 
as  ardent  missionary  reformers  as  any  whom  we  to-day  send  out  to  China  and  India, 
or  to  darkest  Africa.  Champlain  aimed  to  Christianize  the  new  world,  and  many 
who  followed  after  him,  as  Parkman's  pages  tell  us,  were  martyrs  to  this  lofty  and 
inspiring  hope.  May  we  not  with  advantage  to-day  pattern  ourselves  after  these 
fine  spirits  of  our  remote  past.  Is  it  not  your  own  Emerson  who  says  "  Hitch  your 
wagon  to  a  star?  "  Let  us  continue  the  development  of  the  lands  we  have  received 
in  trust,  and  continue  also  the  high  aim  and  noble  ambition  of  our  predecessors,  and 


W.  B.   MOOERS 

Mayor  o(  Plaltsburgh,   N.  Y. 


JAMES  E.  BURKE 
Mayor  of  Burlington,  Vt. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  297 

if  we  do  not  always  accomplish  precisely  what  we  set  out  to  do  we  may  at  least 
be  sure  that  efforts  and  energies  so  spent  will  leave  humanity  the  richer. 
In  the  words  of  the  poet: 

Nothing  worth  winning  is  won  with  ease. 

The  goal  worth  reaching  is  sacred  ground. 
And  it  can't  be  reached  in  a  gentle  walk. 

Or  a  burst  of  speed  and  a  leap  and  bound. 
The  eagle  of  victory  perches  high. 

And  the  climbing  soul  has  far  to  climb. 
With  death  and  doubt  in  the  vales  below. 

And  the  stars  far  off  on  the  hills  of  time. 

Before  the  speaking  was  ended.  President  Taft  was  obliged  to  leave 
for  his  return  to  Washington.  The  French  and  British  Ambassadors  also 
returned  to  the  Capital  that  evening.  The  Governor  and  members  of 
the  New  York  Commission  returned  in  the  late  hours  of  the  night  to 
Hotel  Champlain  at  Bluff  Point. 


VII.    FRIDAY.  JULY  9:  AT  ISLE  LA  MOTTE 

299 


VII.    AT  ISLE  LA  MOTTE 

THE  TERCENTENARY  OBSERVANCES  closed  on  Friday,  July  9th,  at 
Isle  La  Motte.  Although  somewhat  remote  from  the  centers  of 
population,  and  although  the  programme  had  not  the  elaborate 
features  of  those  at  Plattsburgh  and  Burlington,  yet  it  was  generally  felt 
that  in  many  essential  aspects  the  celebration  reached  its  most  significant 
expression  and  true  climax  here.  The  island  itself  has  the  unique  interest 
of  being  in  all  probability  the  first  land  visited  by  Champlain  in  what  is 
now  the  United  States.  It  is  a  fair  reading  in  his  own  narrative  to  con- 
strue his  first  landing  in  his  voyage  of  discovery  as  on  the  shores  of  Isle  La 
Motte.  Here,  too,  in  1 666,  was  made  the  first  French  military  and  relig- 
ious establishment  in  the  valley.  At  old  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  the  site  now 
known  as  Sandy  Point,  was  set  up  in  the  year  ncuned,  the  first  Christian 
altar  in  the  present  State  of  Vermont.  The  early  associations  of  Isle  La 
Motte,  as  have  been  detailed  elsewhere  In  this  report,  are  with  some  of  the 
most  notable  soldiers  and  pioneers  of  the  church  under  the  French  regime 
in  North  America.  Here  came  the  great  military  captain  whose  name  the 
island  bears;  here,  too,  were  Dolbeau,  Dubois,  Dollier  de  Casson,  and 
many  another  famed  in  history ;  especially,  of  hallowed  memory  in  French- 
American  history,  the  pioneer  bishop  of  Canada,  the  revered  Laval. 

TTiese  and  other  significant  facts  of  the  very  early  history  of  the  island 
are  alluded  to  in  some  of  the  speeches  of  the  day,  notably  in  that  of 
Senator  Henry  W.  Hill,  in  pages  following. 

TTie  Island's  permanent  population  scarce  exceeds  500,  but  in  pro- 
portion to  its  numbers,  no  community  had  outstripped  these  people  in 
the  thoroughness  of  their  preparations.  The  approach  to  the  island  is 
had  under  normal  conditions  by  a  bridge  from  the  Vermont  side  and 
by  a  ferry  from  the  New  York  side.  Most  of  the  visitors  on  this  day, 
however,  came  by  steamboat  or  other  water  craft.  Two  troops  of  the 
15th  U.  S.  Cavalry  and  Co.  "  M,"  1st  Vermont  Infantry,  shared  in 
the  exercises,  and  it  is  stated  that  this  was  the  first  time  on  record  that 

301 


302  State  of  New  York 

regular  United  States  troops  ever  set  foot  on  Isle  La  Motte.  The  torpedo 
boats  which  were  on  the  lake  for  the  celebration  week  anchored  off  shore, 
and  the  band  of  1 50  Indians,  with  spectators  numbering  several  thousand, 
gathered  under  the  great  pines  at  Sandy  Point,  forming  a  scene  of  extra- 
ordinary picturesqueness. 

Governor  Prouty  of  Vermont,  attended  by  his  military  staff  and  accom- 
panied by  numerous  guests,  came  to  the  island  on  the  steamer  Ticonderoga 
from  Burlington.  The  1  st  Regiment  Band  from  Brattleboro  and  Co. 
"  M  "  of  the  Vermont  National  Guard,  Captain  O.  H.  Parker,  Com- 
mander, were  the  Governor's  escort.  The  St.  Albans  Choral  Union  of 
three  hundred  voices  and  some  thirty  members  of  Belleview  Chapter, 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  were  also  in  attendance.  The 
ladies  of  this  last-named  organization  shared  in  one  of  the  most  interesting 
features  of  the  day,  which  was  the  dedication  of  a  boulder  monument 
bearing  a  bronze  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Col.  Seth  Warner  and  Captain 
Remember  Baker,  heroes  of  the  Revolution. 

From  the  New  York  side,  the  steamer  brought  Governor  Hughes  and 
Mrs.  Hughes,  members  of  the  New  York  State  Champlain  Commission, 
and  numerous  other  officials  or  specially  invited  guests,  among  them 
Lieutenant  de  Vaisseau  Benoist  d'Azy,  naval  attache  of  the  French 
Ambassador,  who  on  this  occasion  was  to  represent  the  Republic  of 
France  in  the  place  of  his  superior  who  had  been  obliged  to  return  to 
Washington. 

In  the  throng  that  gathered  were  many  French-Americans  and  French- 
speaking  Canadians  from  beyond  the  border.  Nowhere  else  in  the  valley 
had  the  French  element  been  more  manifest.  This  had  been  especially 
noticeable  at  services  held  here  earlier  in  the  week.  The  exercises  of 
Champlain  Sunday  at  the  shrine  of  Ste.  Anne  had  been  of  exceptional 
impressiveness.  Here,  in  the  open  air,  in  nature's  cathedral,  pillared  with 
giant  pines,  under  the  blue  vault  of  heaven,  was  celebrated  pontifical 
mass,  attended  by  probably  1 ,500  devout  worshippers.  Before  the  little 
chapel  erected  in  honor  of  Ste.  Anne,  the  Fathers  of  the  Congregation  of 
St.  Edmond  and  the  pious  congregation  remained  for  four  hours.     Mgr. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  303 

Roy,  auxiliary  bishop  of  Quebec,  officiated.  Mgr.  Cloarec,  adminis- 
trator of  the  Diocese  of  Burlington,  also  shared  in  the  service,  as  did  the 
Most  Rev.  Abbe  Mitre,  of  Oka,  Don  Antoine.  Mgr.  Lindsey,  arch- 
deacon of  Quebec,  and  Abbe  Laramee  of  Redford,  N.  Y.,  served  as 
deacon  and  subdeacon.  The  Abbe  Marion,  cure  of  Ste.  Anne  of  Ottawa, 
was  master  of  ceremonies.  The  boy  choir  from  the  church  of  St.  Peter,  at 
Plattsburgh,  under  the  direction  of  Wilfrid  Tremblay,  chanted  with 
superb  effect  Bartholomew's  mass  to  orchestral  accompaniment.  It  was 
1 1  o'clock  when  the  service  began.  The  address  of  welcome  was  spoken 
by  the  Rev.  Thomas  A.  Prevel,  superior-general  of  the  congregation  of 
St.  Edmond,  who  had  come  from  England  to  share  in  this  celebration. 
In  a  magnificent  address  he  paid  his  respects  to  Mgr.  Roy,  as  well  as  to 
Governor  Prouty,  and  reviewed  in  glowing  terms  the  epoch  and  achieve- 
ments of  Champlain.  Mgr.  Roy  replied  to  the  address  of  welcome, 
giving  a  swift  but  vivid  review  of  events  which  have  made  Isle  La  Motte, 
and  especially  this  spot  where  they  were  gathered,  illustrious  in  military 
and  religious  history.  Mgr.  Roy  recognized  it  as  providential  that,  241 
years  after  this  spot  was  first  visited  by  Mgr.  Laval  —  then  a  savage 
wilderness  —  he  was  now  presiding  there,  a  successor  to  Laval,  over 
so  imposing  a  religious  ceremony,  attended  by  such  a  throng  of  the  faith- 
ful. "  The  tree  of  Christ,"  he  exclaimed,  "  is  never  a  barren  tree;  it 
always  jaelds  fruit." 

The  sermon  of  the  occasion  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Abbe  Lecocq, 
Superior  of  the  Sulpicians  of  Montreal.  After  the  apostolic  benediction, 
another  sermon  was  preached  in  English  by  the  Rev.  Dennis  O'Sullivan, 
of  St.  Albans.  At  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  before  solemn  benediction, 
the  Rev.  Father  L'Oiseau,  S.  J.,  of  Montreal,  pronounced  a  final 
allocution. 

At  the  termination  of  the  religious  ceremonies.  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill 
was  presented  to  the  congregation  and  spoke  briefly  in  eulogy  of  Cham- 
plain, with  expressions  of  warm  sympathy  for  his  French-American 
countrymen. 


304  State  of  New  York 

As  the  beautiful  Sabbath  afternoon  waned,  the  pilgrims  and  visitors 
departed  by  boat. 

At  Ste.  Anne's  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  July  9th,  religious  services 
were  again  held.  Among  the  participants  was  the  Rt.  Rev.  TTiomas  A. 
Prevel,  who  delivered  the  following  devout  and  beautifully  poetic 
address : 

Momeigneur,  Messieurs  les  Couverneurs :  La  presence  simultanee  des  autorites 
religieuses  et  civiles  dans  toutes  ces  fetes;  les  actions  de  graces  rendues  en  commun 
a  la  bonte  de  Dieu;  le  fremissement  d'enthousiasme  qui  fait  vibrer  les  coeurs  comme 
la  brise  fait  frissonner  les  drapeaux;  les  hommages  adresses  a  I'illustre  explorateur 
au  nom  de  la  Patrie,  au  nom  de  I'Eglise,  au  nom  des  peuples  dissemines  sur  tous 
les  points  de  ce  territoire,  au  nom  meme  de  ces  tribus  sauvages  dont  les  representants, 
dans  leurs  costumes  pittoresques,  font  revivre  dans  noire  imagination  les  emouvantes 
realites  de  Juillet  1609,  tous  les  elements  de  ces  grandioses  manifestations  parlent 
haut  de  I'importance  attachee  a  la  decouverte  de  ce  lac  et  surtout  de  la  transcendance 
du  genie  du  grand  Frangais  et  du  grand  chretien  que  fut  Samuel  Champlain. 
Ce  serait  I'avilir  que  d'en  faire  un  vulgaire  trafiquant  de  fourrures ;  ne  bornez  meme 
pas  son  role  a  I'ardeur,  noble  pourtant,  des  conquetes  geographiques,  ce  serait 
I'amoindrir.  La  science  qu'il  y  deploie,  les  intuitions  de  son  genie,  la  surete  de 
son  coup  d'oeil,  son  energie,  son  endurance  dans  les  fatigues,  contre  les  difficultes 
qui  surgissent  sous  ses  pas,  I'egalent  a  Colomb,  a  Cortes,  a  Cartier,  a  Stanley,  a 
Shackleton.  II  leur  est  superieur  a  tous  en  ce  qu'il  a  ete  un  pasteur  de  peuple,  un 
semeur  d'humanisation. 

Planter  un  drapeau  sur  un  rivage  nouveau,  c'est  affirmer  la  conquete  du  sol, 
I'assujettissement  des  habitants,  la  mainmise  sur  ses  richesses,  c'est  faire  acte 
d'autorite,  ce  n'est  pas  faire  acte  d'humanite.  Suivez  Champlain  dans  sa  carriere 
si  mouvementee  et  si  feconde.  D'etape  vous  le  verrez  s'elever  vers  I'ideal  sublime 
sur  lequel  est  fixe  son  regard;  edifier  une  nouvelle  France;  plus  que  cela,  faire  du 
Canada  une  France  cafholique  des  ses  reves.  El  avec  quels  hommes?  Sont  ce  des 
hommes?  Lorsqu'au  lendemain  de  la  fameuse  journee  du  29  Juillet  ou  les  4 
balles  de  I'arquebuse  de  Champlain  avaient  decide  de  la  victoire,  les  sauvages 
descendaient  ce  lac  dans  I'ivresse  de  leur  triomphe,  ils  morcelaient,  membre  par 
membre,  a  chaque  hake,  un  malheureux  prisonnier,  a  ce  point  que  le  rude  marin 
emu  mais  impuissant  a  attendrir  leur  barbarie  n'obtint  qu'une  grace,  celle  d'achever 
d'un  coup  la  pitoyable  victime.  C'est  done  bien  d'humanite  qu'il  fallait  lout  d'abord 
infuser  dans  I'ame  de  ces  etres  qui  n'avient  d'humain  que  les  traits  du  visage. 


Senator  Henry  W.  Hill  delivering  address  of  welcome  at   Isle  La  Motte,  Vt. 


_1 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  305 


Voila  le  point  de  depart.  Quel  sera  le  point  d'arrivee?  Samedi  dernier  a 
Swanton,  autour  d'un  mouvement  religieux,  une  vingtaine  de  sauvages,  de  tribus 
jadis  irreconciliables,  sauvages  aux  traits  durs,  a  la  peau  rougeatre,  a  I'oeil  d'epervier, 
aux  vetements  bizarres,  s'etaient  ranges.  Au  moment  ou  le  pretre  eleve  la  main 
pour  benir  la  pierre  commemorative,  ils  echangent  un  regard  et  ce  fut  un  curieux 
spectacle:  toutes  ces  faces  s'adoucirent,  les  traits  se  detendent,  et  les  mains,  d'un 
geste  spontane,  enlevent  cette  aureole  de  plumage  qui  reste  sur  leur  front  comme  un 
dernier  vestige  de  I'antique  ferocite?  L'ame  est  chretienne,  il  ne  reste  de  barbare  que 
I'apparition.     Quel  chemin  a  parcourir  pour  atteindre  ces  sommets! 

A  la  violence  substituer  la  justice,  a  la  rapine  le  droit ;  au  caprice  substituer  la  loi, 
a  I'instinct  brutal  de  sauvage  la  pensee  morale;  de  la  main  crispee  qui  dechire  faire 
la  main  delicate  qui  pense  les  blessures;  des  dents  qui  grincent  et  des  levres  qui 
maudissent  faire  les  levres  qui  consolent  et  qui  prient.  La  tache  est  surhumaine,  la 
foi  de  Champlain  ne  craint  pas  de  I'aborder.  Ne  demandez  pas  a  la  force  qui 
s'impose  la  creation  du  bien.  Les  mousquets  furent  reserves  pour  la  defense.  Une 
etoile  toute  nouvelle  va  entrer  en  campagne.  Voici  I'avant  garde,  les  francs-tireurs  du 
bon  Dieu,  les  missionaires.  Pas  plus  que  leur  mere  la  Saint  Eglise,  ils  n'ont  a 
changer  le  genre  de  vie  de  leurs  sauvages.  Mais  ils  se  font  nomades  avec  eux;  ils 
s'attachent  a  leur  pas;  ils  vivent  de  leur  vie;  ils  les  aiment  et  les  civiliseront  par 
I'amour.  Puis  vient  I'Etat-Major  de  I'armee;  c'est  la  sainte  hierarchic,  pretres  et 
eveques,  la  paroisse  et  la  diocese.  Et  alors,  semblable  aux  grandes  etoiles  au  milieu 
de  leurs  nebuleuses  surgisses  5a  et  la  des  eglises!  Sur  quatre  murailles  de  bois  une 
toiture  de  branchages,  une  forme  de  docher,  et  dans  les  airs  brille  au  loin  le  signe  du 
ralliement,  la  croix.  Pauvres  sauvages  saluez,  c'est  la  misericorde,  c'est  I'amour, 
c'est  la  maison  de  Dieu. 

On  parle  quelquefois  de  l'ame  des  choses.  Ne  croirait-on  pas  aussi  que  certains 
lieux  ont  une  ame  qui  s'impressionne  des  evenements  dont  ils  furent  temoins? 

Hier  soir,  a  I'heure  ou  la  nature  s'enveloppe  d'ombre  et  de  silence,  j'etais  venu 
m'asseoir  solitarie  et  reveur  au  pied  de  la  croix  blanche  qui  etend  ses  grands  bras 
comme  un  appel  ininterrompu  a  la  confiance  et  a  I'amour.  Et  il  me  sembla  que  des 
ombres  glissaient  a  la  surface  tranquille  des  eaux;  le  passee  se  levait  du  repos  ou 
dorment  les  generations  et  remontait  la  voie  douloureuse  ou  triomphale  que  fut  tour 
a  tour  ce  large  sillon  destine  par  Dieu  aux  grandes  choses. 

La  gloire  militaire  passa,  et  sous  les  plis  flottants  de  leurs  pavilions  nationaux 
marchaient  fierement  en  ordre  de  battaille  les  Americains  avec  Macdonough,  Arnold, 
Warner,  St.  Clair,  Schuyler,  Allen;  les  anglais  a  la  suite  de  Amherst,  Burgoyne;  les 
Frangais  sur  les  pas  de  Levis,  Bourlamaque,  de  Vaudreuil,  Montcalm,  et  le  vieux 
fort  tressaillit,  et  au  passage  du  couleurs,  le  canon  tonnait;  a  tous  ces  braves  le  fort 
Sainte  Anne  rendait  les  honneurs. 
21 


306  State  of  New  York 


La  civilisation  passa.  C'etait  300  ans  de  progres  sortis  de  cet  acte  fecond  que 
fut  la  decouverte  de  ce  lac.  Et,  des  fermes,  des  usines,  des  villages,  des  villes,  de 
tous  les  foyers  de  vie  dissemines  dans  le  New  York  et  le  Vermont,  s'elevait  le  joyeux 
raurmure  de  la  richesse  terrienne,  agricole,  industrielle,  commerciale ;  parole  de  la 
justice,  de  la  vie  civile ;  ordres  de  la  magistrature,  du  gouvernment,  emanations  de  tout 
ce  grand  organisme  qu'  assure  I'ordre  et  la  paix  dans  la  nation. 

La  Religion  passa,  et  avec  elle  un  defile  incomparable  de  pretres,  de  missionalres, 
de  Religieux,  et  la  petite  chapelle  Ste  Anne,  premier  abri  du  divin  Sauveur  en  ce 
pays  chantant  des  noms  chers  au  coeur  chretien:  Dubois,  Dolbeau,  Dollier  de  Casson, 
Marquette,  Jogues,  Fremin.  Voici  le  noble  cohorte  des  eveques,  depuis  nos 
seigneurs  Michaud  et  de  Goesbriand  au  Venerable  de  Laval  comptait  dans  ses  rangs 
des  prelats  commes  les  Plessis,  Cheverus,  Carroll,  Rappe,  McCloskey,  Fitzpatrick. 

Un  dernier  cortege  se  dessina,  le  premier  en  date,  le  plus  etrange,  le  plus  touchant. 
Un  fremissement  courut  dans  les  arbres  de  nos  bois.  lis  avaient  reconnu  leurs 
antiques  sauvages,  Iroquois,  Hurons,  Abenakis,  Algonquins  dont  leurs  fourres 
profonds  avaient  abrite  les  sanglants  conciliabules.  Mais  voici  qu'au  milieu  d'eux 
Champlain  s'apparut  et  il  me  semblait  que  la  gloire  militaire,  la  Prosperite  civile,  la 
Religion  lui  adressaient  leurs  felicitations  sur  son  oeuvre  sublime.  Et  Champlain, 
d'une  main  indiqua  la  croix  du  lac,  de  I'autre  montra  ses  sauvages  convertis;  et  ses 
levres  prononcerent  lentement  ces  simples  paroles :  "  La  salut  d'une  ame  vaut  mieux 
que  la  conquele  d'un  monde." 

(Translation) 

The  simultaneous  presence  of  the  religious  and  civic  authorities  in  all  these  fetes; 
the  thanksgivings  offered  in  common  for  the  goodness  of  God;  the  thrill  of  enthusiasm 
which  makes  our  hearts  beat  as  the  breeze  makes  the  flags  flutter;  the  tribute  offered 
to  the  illustrious  explorer  in  the  name  of  Country,  in  the  name  of  the  Church,  in  the 
name  of  the  People  spread  over  every  part  of  this  region,  in  the  name  even  of  those 
aborigines  whose  representatives,  in  picturesque  costume,  revive  in  our  imagination 
the  stirring  realities  of  July,  1  609  —  all  the  elements  of  these  grand  manifestations 
speak  emphatically  of  the  importance  attached  to  the  discovery  of  this  lake,  and 
especially  of  the  transcendent  genius  of  that  great  Frenchman  and  great  Christian, 
Samuel  Champlain. 

To  regard  him  as  a  common  fur  trader  is  to  degrade  him;  even  to  restrict  his 
character  to  the  ardor,  however  noble,  of  geographical  conquest,  would  be  to 
belittle  him.  In  the  science  which  he  showed;  in  all  the  intuitions  of  his  genius;  in 
his  clear  vision,  his  energy,  his  endurance  of  fatigue,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties 
which  beset  his  steps,  he  was  the  equal  of  Columbus,  of  Cortez,  of  Cartier,  of 
Stanley,  of  Shackleton.  He  is  superior  to  all  of  them,  in  that  he  was  a  pastor  to 
his  people,  a  sower  of  the  humanities. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  307 


To  plant  a  flag  upon  a  new  coast,  is  to  assert  the  conquest  of  the  soil,  the  subju- 
gation of  the  inhabitants,  the  seizure  of  its  wealth  —  that  is  an  act  of  authority,  but 
not  of  humanity.  Follow  Champlain  in  his  active  and  fruitful  career.  Step  by 
step  he  raises  himself  towards  the  sublime  ideal  upon  which  his  gaze  is  fixed ;  to 
found  a  new  France;  more  than  that,  to  make  of  Canada  the  Catholic  France  of 
his  dreams.  And  with  what  men?  Are  these  indeed  men?  When  on  the  day 
after  the  famous  29th  of  July  —  when  the  four  balls  of  Champlain's  arquebuse  had 
decided  the  victory  —  the  savages  came  down  the  lake  intoxicated  with  triumph, 
they  parceled  out  at  each  halt,  member  by  member,  a  wretched  prisoner,  so  that  it 
came  to  pass  that  the  rude  sailor,  touched  but  powerless  to  soften  their  barbarism, 
obtained  as  the  special  favor  that  the  pitiable  victim  should  be  ended  with  a  single 
stroke.  It  was  then  the  kindness  of  humanity  that  he  had  first  to  infuse  into  the  soul 
of  these  beings,  human  only  in  form. 

This  is  the  beginning.  What  shall  the  end  be?  Last  Saturday  at  Swanton, 
round  about  a  religious  gathering,  were  ranged  a  score  of  Indians  from  tribes  for- 
merly hostile,  men  with  stern  features,  red  skins,  eagle-eyed,  in  strange  garments. 
At  the  moment  when  the  priest  raised  his  hand  to  bless  a  commemorative  tablet, 
they  exchanged  glances.  It  was  a  curious  spectacle.  Their  faces  softened,  their 
features  relaxed,  and  their  hands  with  one  spontaneous  gesture  raised  the  ornament 
of  feathers  which  rested  on  their  brows  as  the  last  vestige  of  their  old  ferocity.  The 
soul  is  Christian.  There  remains  only  the  semblance  of  barbarism.  What  a  road 
to  travel  to  reach  these  heights! 

For  violence,  to  substitute  justice;  for  rapine,  uprightness;  for  caprice,  to  substitute 
law;  for  the  brutal  instinct  of  the  savage,  moral  thinking;  from  the  shriveled  hand 
which  tears,  to  make  the  delicate  hand  which  soothes  wounds;  from  the  teeth 
which  grind  and  the  lips  which  curse  to  make  the  lips  which  console  and  pray! 
TTie  task  is  superhuman.     The  faith  of  Champlain  did  not  fear  to  undertake  it. 

Do  not  ask  by  what  power  good  is  accomplished.  The  muskets  were  reserved 
for  defense.  A  new  star  takes  the  field.  Behold  the  advance  guard,  the  sharp- 
shooters of  the  good  God  —  the  missionaries.  No  less  than  their  mother,  the  Holy 
Church,  have  they  changed  the  savage  life.  But  they  made  themselves  nomads  with 
the  savages;  they  followed  their  footsteps,  they  lived  their  life.  They  loved  them, 
and  they  civilized  them  by  love.  Then  came  the  staff  of  the  army  —  the  holy 
heirarchy,  priests  and  bishops,  the  parish  and  the  diocese.  And  then,  comparable  to 
great  stars  in  the  midst  of  nebulae,  here  and  there,  churches !  On  four  wooden 
walls  a  roof  of  branches,  the  semblance  of  a  tower,  and  raised  in  the  air,  shines 
from  afar  the  rallying-sign,  the  cross.  Poor  savages,  salute!  It  is  mercy,  it  is 
love,  it  is  the  house  of  God. 


308  State  of  New  York 


We  sometimes  speak  of  the  soul  of  things.  Do  you  not  believe  that  certain 
places  have  a  soul  which  is  impressed  by  the  events  of  v^rhich  they  are  witness? 

Last  evening,  at  the  hour  when  nature  wraps  herself  in  shade  and  silence,  I  was 
seated  alone  and  reflecting  at  the  foot  of  the  white  cross  which  extends  its  great 
arms  like  a  constant  call  for  confidence  and  love.  And  it  seemed  to  me  that  from 
the  shadows  lightly  resting  on  the  tranquil  surface  of  the  lake,  the  Past  awakened 
from  the  repose  in  which  the  generations  sleep,  and  showed  the  way,  mournful  or 
triumphant,  which  was  the  great  trail  destined  by  God  for  mighty  things. 

Military  glory  passes.  Under  the  floating  folds  of  their  national  banners  march 
proudly  in  order  of  battle  the  Americans  with  Macdonough,  Arnold,  Warner,  St. 
Clair,  Schuyler,  Allen;  the  English  follow  with  Amherst,  Burgoyne;  the  French, 
in  the  steps  of  Levis,  Bourlamaque,  de  Vaudreuil,  Montcalm;  and  the  old  fort 
thrills.  At  the  passing  of  the  colors,  the  cannon  sounds;  to  all  these  heroes  Fort 
Sainte  Anne  gives  honor. 

Civilization  passes.  From  this  fruitful  act,  the  discovery  of  this  lake,  spring 
300  years  of  progress.  And  from  the  farms,  the  factories,  the  villages,  the  cities, 
from  all  the  firesides  scattered  in  New  York  and  Vermont,  is  raised  the  joyous 
murmur  of  wealth,  agricultural,  industrial,  commercial;  the  word  of  justice,  the 
order  of  civil  life;  decrees  of  law,  of  government;  outcome  of  all  this  great  organiza- 
tion which  assures  order  and  peace  in  the  nation. 

Religion  passes,  and  with  it  an  incomparable  defile  of  priests,  missionaries, 
religious  orders;  and  the  little  chapel  of  Ste.  Anne,  first  shelter  of  the  divine 
Saviour  in  this  land,  singing  the  names  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  Christian:  Dubois, 
Dolbeau,  DoUier  de  Casson,  Marquette,  Jogues,  Fremin.  Behold  the  noble  cohort 
of  bishops,  from  our  seigneurs  Michaud  and  de  Goesbriand,  to  the  venerable  Laval, 
with  prelates  like  the  Plessis,  Cheverus,  Carroll,  Rappe,  McCloskey,  Fitzpatrick. 

The  last  cortege  outlines  itself,  the  first  in  date,  the  strangest,  the  most  touching. 
A  thrill  runs  through  the  trees  of  our  woods.  They  have  recognized  their  ancient 
savages  —  Iroquois,  Hurons,  Abenakis,  Algonquins,  whose  bloody  councils  their 
profound  depths  have  sheltered.  But  behold,  in  the  midst  of  them  Champlain 
appears!  And  it  seemed  to  me  that  military  glory,  civil  prosperity,  religion,  offered 
to  him  their  felicitations  on  his  sublime  work.  And  Champlain  points  with  one  hand 
to  the  cross  by  the  lake,  with  the  other  to  his  converted  savages,  and  his  lips  slowly 
pronounce  these  simple  words:  "  The  salvation  of  a  soul  is  worth  more  than  the 
conquest  of  a  world." 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  309 

TTie  principal  sermon  on  this  occasion  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  P.  J, 
Barrett,  of  St.  Mary's  Cathedral,  Burlington,  as  follows: 

At  Isle  La  Motte:  Sermon  of  Rev.  P.  J.  Barrett 

"  Joy  and  gladness  shall  be  found  therein,  thanksgiving,  and  the  voice  of  praise."  —  Isaiah, 
chap.  51,  V.  3. 

As  God's  chosen  seer  beheld  in  prophetic  vision  Christ's  glorious  kingdom  on 
earth  rising  majestically  and  triumphantly  above  the  ruins  of  the  synagogue,  wit- 
nessing its  peaceful  extension  from  sea  to  sea,  gazing  on  its  brilliant  conquests  under 
the  \avf  of  love,  and  as  he  saw  in  it  nations  and  peoples  laden  with  heaven's  choicest 
favors,  he  foretells  that  Christian  joy  and  gladness  shall  inundate  the  souls  of  the 
faithful  and  that  praise  and  thanksgiving  shall  be  their  grateful  offering  to  God. 

Assembled  this  morning  on  a  spot  hallowed  by  saintly  memories,  made  sacred  by 
altar  and  shrine,  purified  by  the  breath  of  prayer  and  sanctified  by  the  mystical  out- 
pouring of  the  Saviour's  blood,  we  cheerfully  give  vent  to  the  feelings  of  joy  and 
gladness  that  fill  our  Christian  hearts;  while  we  commemorate  the  noble  and  self- 
sacrificing  life  of  that  great  Christian  hero  who  left  his  name  to  be  mirrored  forever 
in  the  crystal  bosom  of  our  lovely  lake,  and  whose  deeds  of  distinction  and  valor 
contributed,  not  a  little,  to  emblazon  the  first  pages  of  the  history  of  this  picturesque 
lake  and  valley.  Our  paeans  of  joy  and  gladness  would  be  of  small  worth  were 
they  not  welded  in  union  sublime  with  our  heartfelt  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  the 
giver  of  every  best  and  perfect  gift.  So  we  gather  at  the  altar  of  the  Spotless  Lamb 
and  unite  with  the  Pontiff  while  he  offers  the  infinite  and  divine  thank-offering,  the 
purest  possible  act  of  thanksgiving,  the  sweetest  note  of  praise. 

This  great  tercentenary  celebration  was  ushered  in,  not  with  the  booming  of 
cannon,  nor  with  the  mighty  roar  of  artillery,  but  with  the  calm,  peaceful,  heaven- 
like, prayerful.  Christian  worship  of  the  Sabbath  morn.  Our  first  tribute  of  adoration 
and  praise  we  offered  to  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords,  who  shapes  the 
destinies  of  nations  and  men,  who  poises  the  world  on  His  mighty  finger,  and  in 
whom  we  live,  move,  and  have  our  being. 

At  this  memorable  shrine,  in  beautiful  Burlington,  in  Plattsburgh,  yea,  all  along 
the  shores  of  historic  Champlain,  the  firstlings  of  our  hearts  we  sacrificed  to  our  God. 
The  tremendous  mysteries  of  Calvary  pierced  the  clouds  and  rose  to  the  Throne  of 
the  Most  High,  and  the  Word  of  God  was  preached  by  learned  divines  to  vast 
congregations  of  the  faithful.  Eminently  fitting  and  appropriate  it  is  that  the  closing 
functions  of  this  festal  week  should  be  accentuated  and  crowned  by  the  highest 
supreme  act  of  homage  to  God,  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  And  so  the  words 
of  my  text  will  be  fulfilled  to-day  and  "  joy  and  gladness  shall  be  found  herein, 
thanksgiving,  and  the  voice  of  praise." 


310  State  of  New  York 


It  is  the  special  joy  of  man's  heart  to  admire  where  he  can.  We  are  readily  and 
easily  impressed  by  the  great,  good,  and  virtuous.  Yes,  even  weak  and  timid  souls, 
though  spiritless,  are  lead  to  do  honor  to  the  virtue,  courage  and  self-sacrifice  they 
witness  in  their  fellow  men.  A  great  soul,  a  noble  character,  will  command  respect 
and  attention  the  world  over,  even  after  he  has  shuffled  off  the  mortal  coil.  "  The 
memory  of  him,"  says  the  Scripture,  "  shall  not  pass  away.  His  name  shall  be  in 
request  from  generation  to  generation.  Nations  shall  declare  his  wisdom  and  the 
church  shall  show  forth  his  praise."  Just  here  then  does  the  illustrious  memory  of 
Samuel  Champlain  loom  up  before  our  mind's  view;  it  seems  to  steal  in  upon  us 
like  a  vision  bright  from  a  better  world.  Let  the  mists  of  three  hundred  years  be 
cleared  away.  How  nobly  and  gracefully  our  hero  stands,  a  paragon  of  virtue, 
the  fearless  explorer,  the  daring  discoverer,  the  intrepid  soldier,  the  untiring  pioneer, 
the  successful  founder,  a  man  among  men,  a  born  leader,  a  chivalrous  crusader. 
We  would  not,  for  all  the  world,  detract  one  minim  from  the  well-earned  fame  he 
has  won,  nor  lake  one  jewel  from  the  precious  niche  in  which  history  has  placed 
him.  Yet,  let  us  remember  that  there  is  a  glory  which  never  fades;  it  is  a  shadow 
however  dim,  a  foretaste  however  small,  of  the  eternal  glory  of  paradise.  It  is  the 
glory  that  shines  out  in  the  life  of  the  man  who  is  a  hero,  not  only  because  he  has 
conquered  kingdoms  and  subdued  nations  and  peoples,  discovered  new  worlds  and 
founded  new  empires,  but  because  he  has  learned  and  has  the  courage  to  subdue  his 
own  rebellious  appetites,  unruly  passions  and  wayward  propensities.  It  is  the  man 
who  has  fought  the  good  fight  under  the  saving  banner  of  the  cross,  who  has  bent 
his  will  and  toned  his  intellect  to  the  sweet  yoke  of  the  Saviour;  a  man  of  sound, 
unswerving,  practical  faith.  The  stars  of  heaven  shine  not  with  so  great  a  lustre 
in  the  vast  field  of  the  firmament  as  does  God's  imaged  beauty  radiate  in  the  soul 
of  the  true  Christian  hero.  A  man  may  scale  the  heights  of  worldly  fame  and 
deserve  well  of  his  country  and  fellow  men  for  deeds  of  valor  and  renovra,  but  let 
the  foul  breath  of  habitual  vice  or  sin  taint  his  life  and  the  blot  is  there,  the  stain 
is  thefe,  that  awful  cancer  that  poisons  and  devours  his  Christian  manhood,  and 
saps  and  corrodes  his  moral  vitality,  leaving  him  the  crouching  slave  of  a  base 
hypocrisy,  a  king  without  a  kingdom,  a  monarch  without  a  throne.  Extol,  if  you 
vvall,  the  arm  which  he  raised  in  defense  of  his  country  or  to  strike  the  blow  for  free- 
dom's cause,  but  conceal  his  own  life  from  the  eyes  of  your  children,  shroud  it  in 
the  mantle  of  charity,  let  it  be  hushed  into  deathlike  silence.  The  mighty  hath 
fallen.     He  lies  prostrate.     He  had  a  name  as  if  living,  but,  alas,  he  is  dead. 

The  battle  of  Christian  manhood  is  fought  and  won  by  a  virtuous  life.  Love  of 
God  and  fellow  men,  unswerving  obedience  to  the  voice  of  conscience,  undying 
allegiance  to  holy  faith,  a  living  exponent  of  the  highest  principles  of  virtue  and 
morality  —  behold  the  life  of  the  man,   of  our  hero,  Samuel  Champlain.      May 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  311 


his  illustrious  memory  live  long  in  the  hearts  of  our  people,  and  spur  them  on  to 
purity  of  life  and  works  of  Christian  valor  for  God  and  country.  Under  the 
heavenly  hues  of  our  glorious  Hag,  the  religion  of  Champlain  blooms  and  flourishes 
like  the  fairest  flower  of  Eden.  Not  only  is  it  tolerated  here,  but  protected  and 
honored.  Here  are  recognized  its  inalienable  rights  that  are  born  of  the  justice 
of  heaven  which  nestles  so  fondly  and  securely  in  the  magnanimous  heart  of  our 
mighty  nation.  The  priceless  value  of  Christian  religion  is  appreciated  here,  for 
we  citizens  of  this  matchless  republic  have  long  since  learned  that  there  can  be  no 
civil  society  without  government,  no  government  without  authority,  no  authority 
without  law  and  no  law  truly  efficacious  without  religion.  We  are  proud  of  our 
peerless  republic,  we  glory  in  the  great  mainsprings  or  elements  of  our  national 
greatness,  in  union,  liberty,  and  prosperity.  A  union  strong  and  lasting  not  only 
binding  us  together  by  political  ties,  but  especially  uniting  us  in  one  by  the  heaven- 
born,  mystic  tie  of  true  brotherly  love.  A  liberty  pure  and  wholesome  like  the 
breath  of  heaven,  unsurpassed  in  the  annals  of  nations.  A  prosperity  whose  bright 
star  rose  gracefully  o'er  our  nation's  cradle,  and  to-day  it  shines  the  brightest  in  the 
firmament  of  nations,  bidding  fair  to  hold  its  place  of  honor  to  the  end.  This  unity 
is  made  more  solid,  this  liberty  more  secure,  this  prosperity  more  blessed  by  the 
divinely  appointed  ministrations  of  the  Christian  religion.  Virtue  and  morality  must 
ever  abound,  that  peace  and  order,  union,  liberty,  and  prosperity  may  reign  forever. 
For  all  this  let  joy  and  gladness  be  found  herein,  thanksgiving,  and  the  voice  of 
praise. 

May  the  fundamental  principles  of  virtue  and  morality,  taught  us  by  our  holy 
religion  and  practiced  by  Samuel  de  Champlain,  permeate  the  veins  and  hearts  of 
our  God-fearing,  God-loving  people,  that  they  may  cling  more  firmly  than  ever  to 
the  "  Rock  of  Ages  "  and  spurn  the  arrogant,  self-sufficient  dastard  who  would  turn 
them  from  that  impregnable  rock  which  in  the  beginning  was  cleft  from  the  very 
battlements  of  heaven  by  the  hand  of  God  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 

May  this  beautiful  isle  which  first  welcomed  to  its  embrace  the  great  Champlain, 
and  which  is  blessed  forever  by  the  shrine  of  the  good  Ste.  Anne  and  the  host  of 
pilgrims  who  journey  here  to  pray  at  this  memorable  sanctuary,  be  nature's  sweet 
inspiration  to  the  people  of  Vermont  and  may  our  historic  Champlain,  cradled  in  the 
lap  of  our  peerless  republic,  and  faithfully  guarded  by  Marcy's  and  Mansfield's 
towering  peaks,  teach  us  more  and  more  of  the  beauty,  power,  and  love  of  our 
Father  in  heaven  who  has  given  such  precious  gifts  to  men.  When  the  generations 
of  another  century  will  have  come  and  gone  and  the  beacons  of  freedom  will  still 
be  lighting  every  wave  and  ripple  of  this  beautiful  inland  sea,  and  a  grateful  people 
will  gather  on  this  historic  spot  to  honor  the  far-famed  discoverer  of  our  lake,  may 
that  far-off  day  be  replete  with  heaven's  fairest  blessings,  and  may  the  children  of 


312  State  of  New  York 

fair  Columbia  be  congregated  under  the  Aegis  of  true  faith,  to  worship  together  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.  Surely  then  "  will  joy  and  gladness  reign  therein,  thanksgiving, 
and  the  voice  of  praise." 

Preceding  the  sermon  and  after  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  Ticonderoga 
with  the  official  guests,  high  mass  was  celebrated  at  the  shrine,  the  Rt. 
Rev.  Thomas  M.  A.  Burke,  bishop  of  the  Roman  Catholic  diocese  of 
Albany,  officiating.  Over  sixty  members  of  the  clergy  were  present. 
Among  the  Catholic  societies  represented  were  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  and, 
among  others,  several  local  societies  of  Burlington,  Winooski,  St.  Albans 
and  Swanton.  Mass  was  sung  by  the  priests  of  the  diocese,  after  which 
the  sermon  was  delivered. 

For  the  literary  programme,  the  throng  assembled  on  the  shaded  level 
space  near  the  old  fort  and  convenient  to  the  wharf.  Governor  Prouty 
of  Vermont  presided  and,  asking  silence,  introduced  the  Rev.  John  M. 
Thomas,  president  of  Middlebury  College,  Vermont,  who  offered  the 
following  invocation: 

Prayer  at  the  Exercises  at  Isle  La  Motte,  July  9  ,1909,  by  Presi- 
dent John  M.  Thomas  of  Middlebury  College,  Middlebury, 
Vt. 

Almighty  and  eternal  God,  who  in  the  fullness  of  time  didst  grant  unto  our 
fathers  mastery  of  the  western  seas  and  dominion  over  this  new  continent,  we  humbly 
thank  Thee  for  the  providential  care  and  gracious  leading  that  has  blessed  our 
fathers,  that  has  guided  our  own  generation,  that  has  ever  kept  watch  over  us  in 
love  and  in  kindness.  We  thank  Thee  for  this  good  land  and  large,  which  Thou 
hast  granted  to  us  for  our  home,  the  land  wherein  we  have  eaten  bread  without 
scarceness,  whose  stones  are  iron,  and  out  of  whose  hills  we  have  dug  wealth. 

We  pray  for  Thy  blessing  upon  our  country,  upon  the  President  of  these  United 
States,  and  all  who  have  authority  with  him.  We  pray  Thee  that  thou  will  grant 
unto  our  country  the  old  time  love  of  liberty,  the  old  time  honor  of  the  right,  the 
old  time  devotion  to  that  which  is  noble  and  worthy  and  pure.  Grant  unto  us  tasks 
that  try  our  mettle,  work  that  requires  all  our  courage,  and  help  us  to  serve  the 
ideals  of  our  fathers,  and  the  better  ideals  of  the  present,  with  all  fidelity  and 
devotion. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  313 


Bless,  we  beseech  Thee,  the  nations  that  have  participated  in  the  exercises  of 
this  commemoration.  Grant  unto  each  of  them  fidelity  to  the  ideals  of  their  own 
past  and  devotion  to  the  religious  faith  in  which  their  fathers  established  them. 

We  ask  Thy  blessing  to  rest  upon  the  Church  of  God,  which  is  the  pillar  and 
ground  of  the  truth.  We  pray  Thee,  to  bless  the  church  of  the  martyrs  of  Nero, 
the  church  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  the  friend  of  the  poor,  the  church  of  St.  Anthony 
of  Padua,  the  lover  of  little  children,  the  church  of  unnumbered  heroes  and  devoted 
sons.  Make  her  ministers  in  this  day  aflame  with  zeal  and  pious  devotion,  and  may 
she  minister  as  of  old  to  countless  thousands  the  benediction  of  Galilee  and  the 
peace  that  passeth  understanding. 

We  pray  for  Thy  blessing  upon  those  who  minister  in  plainer  forms,  after  the 
custom  of  their  fathers,  the  truths  of  the  same  God  and  the  gospel  of  the  same 
master.  Grant  unto  them  the  daring  of  the  Puritan  in  the  truths  of  freedom  and 
the  strength  and  vigor  of  their  own  martyrs.  May  they  be  faithful  to  the  truth 
committed  to  them  and  ever  devout  and  reverent  before  the  new  light  that  in  each 
generation  breaks  fresh  and  clear  from  the  word  of  God.  Grant  unto  us  all  rever- 
ence for  truth  by  whomever  spoken  and  for  noble  work  by  whomever  done,  and 
with  increasing  veneration  for  the  right  may  we  seek  to  know  the  will  of  God  and 
with  all  our  strength  perform  it  so  long  as  Thou  shalt  give  us  light.  Through  Jesus 
Christ,  our  Lord,  who  taught  us  when  we  pray  to  say: 

Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come. 
Thy  will  be  done,  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,  and 
forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  forgive  our  debtors.  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but 
deliver  us  from  evil.  For  Thine  is  the  Kingdom,  and  the  Power,  and  the  Glory, 
forever.      Amen. 

Governor  ProUTY  —  My  friends,  after  the  strenuous  week  which  we 
have  just  passed  through,  or  at  least,  this  being  simply  the  close  of  the 
week,  it  is  to  me  at  least  with  a  great  sense  of  relief  that  I  come  here, 
because  the  atmosphere  is  so  quiet  and  restful,  and  it  seems  to  me  that 
that  is  the  attitude  which  we  should  have  here  to-day,  because  this  is  the 
close  of  this  celebration  of  the  event  which  we  have  been  celebrating  dur- 
ing the  week.  To  my  mind  there  can  be  no  question  but  that  the  spot 
where  we  are  now  is  the  spot  that  Samuel  Champlain  first  landed  in  the 
State  of  Vermont  (applause),  and  I  gather  that,  and  my  judgment  deter- 
mines that,  because  I  believe  that  it  must  have  been  so  from  force  of  cir- 
cumstances.    But  I  do  not  intend  to  say  a  word  in  regard  to  that.     I  do 


314  State  of  New  York 

simply  say  that  this  is  a  fitting  time  and  a  fitting  place  for  us  to  close  this 
celebration.  This  is  the  first  spot  where  he  saw  the  lake.  This  shall  be 
the  spot  where  we  shall  close  the  celebration  in  memory  of  that  event. 
There  could  be  nothing  more  fitting  than  that  the  welcome  to  this  spot 
should  be  given  to  you  not  by  myself,  but  by  a  son  of  this  island,  one 
whose  heart  comes  back  to  it,  although  he  has  been  away  from  it  for  many 
years,  and  has  become  the  son  of  another  State.  While  I  know  his  loyalty 
to  that  State  is  unquestioned,  while  I  know  that  his  interests  are  there, 
and  that  his  efforts  in  the  future  will  be  for  her  interest,  yet  I  also  know 
that  his  heart  comes  back  to  his  old  home  and  that  he  holds  it  very  dear, 
and  therefore,  I  am  going  to  present  to  you  at  this  time,  to  welcome  you 
to  this  place,  the  Hon.  Henry  W.  Hill,  Senator  from  New  York. 

Isle  La  Motte:    Address  of  Welcome  by  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill 

Senator  Henry  W.  HilL  —  Your  Excellencies,  Representative  of  the  Republic 
of  France,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  have  been  requested  by  the  officials  of  this 
township  to  welcome  you,  on  behalf  of  its  people  to  this  historic  point. 

In  their  name,  therefore,  I  bid  you  welcome  to  Isle  La  Motte,  one  of  the  beauti- 
ful islands  of  this  charming  lake,  first  described  by  Samuel  Champlain  and  then 
famous  in  Indian  legends  as  the  common  meeting  place  of  the  warring  aborigines, 
whereof  authentic  historic  record  runneth  not  to  the  contrary. 

Its  citizens  are  here  to  extend  their  greetings  and  to  join  with  you  in  the  closing 
exercises  of  the  Tercentenary  Celebration. 

This  assemblage  is  an  impressive  one,  comprising  as  it  does,  distinguished  citizsns 
of  three  great  nations,  including  the  Governors  of  two  American  States,  the  Naval 
Attache  of  the  French  Embassy,  eminent  clergy  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
and  prominent  citizens  of  this  and  all  the  tovsTis  surrounding  the  north  end  of  Lake 
Champlain,  as  well  as  a  large  delegation  of  representatives  of  the  original  tribes 
occupying  this  valley.  The  physical  and  atmospheric  conditions  are  all  that  can  be 
desired  and  everything  has  been  done  by  the  people  of  this  town  to  make  this  one 
of  the  most  enjoyable  days  of  the  celebration  week.  Nature  has  bountifully 
bestowed  its  charms  upon  this  scene,  which  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  ever 
witnessed  on  this  island,  noted  for  its  fine  apple  orchards,  large  marble  quarries  and 
at  one  time  for  its  flourishing  high  schools. 

When  it  was  proposed  to  include  Isle  La  Motte  as  one  of  the  five  places  where 
formal  exercises  were  to  be  held,  some  question  was  raised  as  to  the  propriety  of  so 
doing,  but  in  view  of  its  historic  significance,  it  was  not  to  be  left  out,  and  people 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  315 


are  assembled  here  from  the  towns  of  northeastern  New  York  and  from  those  of 
northwestern  Vermont  and  from  the  Province  of  Quebec,  all  deeply  interested  in 
this  celebration,  to  participate  in  the  concluding  exercises  thereof.  I  cannot  well 
refrain  from  calling  your  attention  to  some  of  the  events  that  have  transpired  in  this 
part  of  Champlain  valley. 

Three  hundred  years  ago,  undoubtedly  on  this  very  Sandy  Point,  in  an  atmo- 
sphere as  brilliant  as  this  of  to-day  and  under  the  stately  trees,  which  we  see  still 
standing  around  us,  Christianity  and  Civilization  were  first  introduced  into  this 
territory  in  the  person  of  the  discoverer  of  this  lake,  Samuel  Champlain. 

This  was  but  two  years  after  the  settlement  of  Jamestown  and  eleven  years  before 
the  Pilgrims  sailed  into  Plymouth  Bay.  Isle  La  Motte  therefore  must  rank,  after 
St.  Augustine  and  Jamestown,  as  the  next  place  in  this  country  where  the  white  man 
blazed  the  way  for  the  establishment  of  civil  and  religious  hberty.  (Applause.) 
The  story  is  so  thrilling  from  that  time  to  the  present  that  one  need  only  read  it  to  be 
enthused  with  its  charm.  Long  before  the  advent  of  Champlain,  however,  this  valley 
was  the  arena  of  cruel  and  deadly  combats  between  the  savage  Iroquois,  Algon- 
quins  and  Hurons  in  their  desperate  struggle  for  supremacy  and  its  control,  and  this 
Point  is  described  in  the  Jesuit  Relations  as  the  common  meeting-place  of  the  Iro- 
quois and  Algonquins  as  late  as  1646.  From  the  same  authority  we  learn  that 
Father  Jogues  and  other  missionaries  were  here  as  early  as  1  642,  that  mass  was 
celebrated  here  in  1 666  and  that  during  the  same  year  Fort  Ste.  Anne  was  built 
under  the  direction  of  Sieur  de  La  Motte  with  the  aid  of  his  six  hundred  veterans 
of  the  Carignan-Salieres  regiment  stationed  on  this  Point,  whose  position  is  strategic, 
projecting  as  it  does  into  waters  forming  the  boundary  between  two  States  and 
also  intercepting  the  highway  of  trade  and  travel  between  the  north  and  the  south 
through  the  lake. 

It  was  the  convenient  stopping  place  for  military  and  naval  expeditions  as  well  as 
a  port  for  passenger  steamers  for  many  years  running  through  the  lake  and  has  been 
visited  by  civil,  military  and  naval  officers  of  three  nations  and  such  distinguished 
personages  as  Peter  Kalm  in  I  749  and  quite  likely  by  Charles  Dickens  in  1  842 
and  later  by  President  William  McKinley  and  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt  while 
Vice-President,  and  many  others.  Viceroy  de  Tracy,  M.  de  Chazy,  Bishop  de 
Laval  and  others  were  here  at  various  times  in  the  1  7th  century.  Captain  John 
Schuyler,  on  his  return  from  his  military  expedition  to  Canada,  spent  here  the  night 
of  August  24th,  1690.  Major  Peter  Schuyler  in  his  journal  describes  his  trip 
through  the  lake  with  his  flotilla  of  canoes  manned  by  266  whites  and  Indians  in 
the  year  1691  and  his  advance  to  "  Fort  La  Motte  several  years  deserted  "  on  the 
26th  of  August,  where  he  remained  over  night.  Captain  John  Schuyler  stopped  near 
this  fort  on  his  mission  to  Canada  in  September,  1  698.      This  island  was  included 


316  State  of  New  York 


in  the  grant  by  the  Governor  of  Canada,  M.  de  Beauharnois  to  Sieur  Pean,  major 
of  the  town  and  castle  of  Quebec,  on  April  1 0,  1  733.  It  was  also  included  in 
the  French  seignory  granted  to  Sieur  Bedou,  Counsellor  in  the  Superior  Council  of 
Quebec  in  1  752.  Canadians  were  attacked  on  this  Point  by  the  savages  in  I  694 
or  1695,  and  French  settlers  were  put  to  death  here  in  I  746  and  others  were  taken 
prisoners  by  the  Indians.  We  know  not  the  extent  of  the  martyrdom  nor  of  the 
savage  persecution  that  has  been  suffered  on  this  soil  which  has  been  made  sacred 
by  the  shedding  of  human  blood. 

In  1775  General  Philip  Schuyler  and  Brigadier-General  Richard  Montgomery 
met  here  on  their  way  to  Quebec,  where  the  brave  Montgomery  afterward  lost  his 
life.  In  I  776  Arnold's  fleet  lay  at  anchor  off  this  island,  from  August  8th  to 
August  1 9th,  from  which  he  made  an  official  report. 

Over  at  yonder  Point  au  Fer,  within  view  of  this  Point,  was  stationed  in  1  775, 
a  large  body  of  Americans,  and  that  point  was  fortified  by  General  Sullivan  in 
I  776.  It  fell  into  the  possession  of  General  Burgoyne  in  1777  and  was  occupied 
by  the  British  until  I  788,  five  years  after  the  Treaty  of  Peace.  Farther  to  the 
north  may  be  seen  Windmill  Point,  where  was  held  an  International  Council  in 
1 766,  to  consider  the  location  of  the  boundary  line  between  New  York  and 
Quebec  and  to  hear  the  arguments  of  the  French  claimants  to  seignories  on  Lake 
Champlain.  The  boundary  was  fixed  in  1  768.  There  it  was  that  Arnold  on 
August  6,  1  776,  encountered  Indians  in  the  British  service. 

Isle  La  Motte  was  settled  in  I  785  by  Ebenezer  Hyde,  Enoch  Hall  and  William 
Blanchard,  and  organized  into  a  township  in  I  790,  a  year  before  Vermont  was 
admitted  into  the  Union  and  while  it  was  an  independent  republic.  This  island 
was  occupied  by  the  British  in  the  War  of  1812;  and  Captain  Pring  erected  a  bat- 
tery of  three  long  eighteen-pounders  on  the  west  shore  on  September  4,  1814,  "  to 
cover  the  landing  of  the  supplies  for  the  troops." 

On  September  8th,  Captain  Downie  arrived  with  the  rest  of  his  fleet  and  on  Sep>- 
lember  I  I  th  proceeded  to  Cumberland  Bay,  where  he  met  defeat.  Commodore 
Macdonough's  fleet  lay  off  the  north  end  of  this  island  for  several  weeks  prior  to 
his  victory  in  Cumberland  Bay,  during  which  time  my  great-grandfather,  Caleb 
Hill,  who  had  been  commissioned  by  the  Governor  and  had  raised  a  company  of 
local  militia  for  the  defense  of  the  tovvTi,  was  surprised  at  night  in  his  ovm  house  and 
was  shot,  it  is  believed,  by  one  of  the  marines  from  the  fleet. 

Amid  such  historic  associations  as  these  and  with  the  evidences  of  its  early  forti- 
fications still  visible,  the  successive  generations  of  its  inhabitants  have  learned  some- 
thing of  the  sacrifices  that  have  been  made  in  the  building  up  of  our  civil  and 
religious  institutions,  and  when  the  call  to  duty  came,  they  failed  not  to  respond  and 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  317 


many  of  them  shed  their  blood  on  the  fields  of  battle  to  preserve  this  repubhc  from 
dismemberment. 

This  town  sent  to  the  Civil  War  more  soldiers  than  it  had  voters.  Hardly  a 
family  was  there  that  did  not  have  one  or  more  of  its  members  in  the  Northern 
armies.  Among  them  were  some  of  the  "  noblest  and  bravest  warriors  that  ever 
buckled  sword."      (Applause.) 

When  an  appeal  was  made  to  the  voters  of  this  town  to  make  suitable  appropria- 
tion for  this  celebration,  they  responded  by  voting  a  dollar  for  every  inhabitant  of 
the  town  to  insure  the  success  of  this  Tercentenary  Celebration.  It  is  well,  therefore, 
that  we  assemble  on  these  historic  shores  to  continue  the  exercises  in  commemoration 
of  the  discovery  made  by  Samuel  Champlain,  the  intrepid  navigator,  the  colonizer, 
the  humanitarian,  who  was  the  first  white  man  to  set  foot  on  this  soil  and  to  bring 
into  this  valley  the  light  of  civilization.  It  is  fitting  that  we  call  attention  to  his 
many  virtues  as  has  been  done  by  the  prelates  and  others  who  have  spoken  to-day 
and  on  the  other  days  of  this  celebration,  because  his  was  a  mission  of  peace  and  of 
good  will  even  to  the  aborigines  of  this  new  country.  His  was  a  pure  and  noble  life 
and  his  virtues  worthy  of  emulation. 

As  we  near  the  close  of  this  celebration,  I  think  it  proper  that  I  should  express 
to  those  who  have  given  it  their  intelligent  and  cordial  support  the  sentiments  of  the 
members  of  the  two  Commissions.  The  idea  of  the  Tercentenary  Celebration  was 
first  suggested  to  me  in  the  fall  of  1 906  by  Governor  Fletcher  D.  Proctor  of  Ver- 
mont, who  requested  that  I  present  the  matter  to  the  Governor  and  Legislature  of 
New  York  with  a  view  of  securing  their  endorsement  of  the  project  and  co-operation 
in  its  execution.  This  was  done  and  in  due  course  of  time  the  Vermont  and  the 
New  York  Commissions  were  co-operating  in  friendly  accord  in  formulating  plans 
for  this  Tercentenary  Celebration.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  bestowed  on  your 
esteemed  Governor,  George  H.  Prouty,  who  has  been  resourceful  in  suggestion  and 
intelligent  in  directing  such  plans  and  enthusiastic  in  their  execution.  No  less  praise 
should  be  bestowed  upon  our  esteemed  Governor,  Charles  Evans  Hughes,  for  his 
cordial  and  inteUigent  support  of  the  project  from  its  inception.  He  wields  the 
strong  arm  of  the  Empire  State  not  only  for  good  government  but  for  a  proper 
recognition  of  the  forces  and  factors  in  the  evolution  of  our  progressive  and  complex 
civilization.     His  support  has  made  the  celebration  a  success. 

When  Vermont  and  New  York  made  their  appeal  to  Congress  it  responded  as 
liberally  as  could  be  expected  in  view  of  the  extraordinary  demands  then  being  made 
for  governmental  purposes  upon  the  treasury  and  we  are  grateful  to  the  President 
and  Congress  of  the  United  States  for  their  support  and  co-operation. 

The  pageants  presented  here  and  elsewhere  by  L.  O.  Armstrong  and  his  company 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  descendants  of  the  original  tribes,  occupying  this  valley,  the 


318  State  of  New  York 


naval  exhibition  and  military  parades,  the  high  order  of  historical  addresses  and 
poems  delivered  during  these  Tercentenary  exercises  and  the  distinguished  representa- 
tives of  the  three  great  nations  participating  in  the  celebration,  have  all  contributed 
to  make  it  a  success  and  worthy  the  dignity  of  the  national  and  international  char- 
acters and  events  it  was  designed  to  commemorate. 

The  United  States  has  been  represented  by  the  President,  the  Republic  of  France 
by  its  brilliant  Ambassador,  M.  Jusserand,  the  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  by  its 
distinguished  Ambassador,  Mr.  Bryce,  the  Dominion  of  Canada  by  its  gifted  Post- 
master-General, M.  Lemieux,  and  the  Province  of  Quebec  by  its  talented  Premier, 
Sir  Lomer  Gouin.  All  these  official  representatives  and  many  others  have  contributed 
to  the  success  of  this  celebration  and  to  all  of  them  the  people  of  this  valley  are 
under  lasting  obligation.  Its  benefits,  however,  are  not  confined  to  the  people  of  this 
valley,  nor  to  the  present  generation.  They  will  extend  to  other  peoples  and  other 
generations.  Its  contribution  to  international  amity  between  the  United  States, 
France  and  Great  Britain,  including  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  is  worth  all  the 
efforts  put  forth  to  make  it  a  success.  It  will  also  awaken  a  deeper  interest  in  the 
history  of  our  country  and  in  some  measure  stimulate  the  youth  of  our  land  to 
emulate  the  patriotic  deeds  of  the  men  who  heroically  represented  their  respective 
governments  in  the  fierce  conflicts  that  have  been  waged  in  this  valley  for  its  per- 
manent possession  and  sovereign  control. 

On  this  beautiful  island,  set  in  the  blue  expanse  of  softly  moving  waters,  beneath 
an  overarching  vault  of  blue  sky,  dappled  here  and  there  by  the  play  of  light  and 
shade  and  fleecy  drifting  clouds,  and  in  the  presence  of  representatives  of  the 
aboriginal  tribes  and  of  the  three  great  powers,  that  have  successively  occupied  it, 
now  happily  in  friendly  accord,  altogether  forming  one  of  the  impressive  scenes  of 
the  celebration,  the  formal  Tercentenary  exercises  are  to  conclude  to-day. 

To  the  citizens  of  this,  my  native  town,  to  the  people  of  Vermont  and  New  York 
and  to  all  others,  who  have  given  the  Tercentenary  celebration  their  support,  we  are 
grateful.  We  are  also  grateful  to  the  all-wise  Creator,  that  on  this  and  the  other 
days  of  this  week,  we  have  been  favored  with  good  weather  and  that  the  exercises 
from  Ticonderoga  on  the  south  to  Isle  La  Motte  on  the  north  have  been  fully  car- 
ried out  without  mishap  or  accident.      (Applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  —  When  this  celebration  was  begun,  when  invita- 
tions were  issued  to  the  nations  of  France  and  Great  Britain,  I  am  glad  to 
say  that  they  were  responded  to  most  heartily,  and  the  ambassadors  of 
those  two  great  nations  were  delegated  to  represent  their  respective  gov- 
ernments during  this  lime.     But  I  think  I  may  say  that  the  ambassadors 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  319 

themselves  possibly  may  not  have  felt  that  the  celebration  which  we  were 
to  have  was  of  such  great  national  importance,  and  I  am  frank  to  say  to 
you  now  that  the  ambassador  of  France  sent  word  to  me  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  to  come  to  Vermont.  That  was  in  the  first  place. 
Afterwards,  he  decided  that  he  would  put  off  his  trip  home  and  come 
here  as  a  matter  of  courtesy.  From  the  time  those  two  gentlemen  started 
from  their  homes,  we  have  been  trying  to  convince  them,  and  we  did 
convince  them,  that  this  was  the  greatest  celebration  which  has  ever  taken 
place  in  this  country.  (Applause.)  Now,  you  may  think  that  that  is  a 
little  of  the  New  York  air,  which  has  been  coming  over  here  lately. 
(Laughter.)  But  I  assure  you  that  it  is  a  fact  that  those  two  gentlemen 
came  to  believe  that  this  was  the  greatest  celebration  which  we  have  ever 
had.  Not  the  greatest  in  spectacles,  not  the  greatest  in  numbers,  but  in 
the  influence  which  it  will  exert  on  this  continent.  There  has  never  been 
a  celebration  which  was  of  any  greater  importance  than  this,  because 
when  expressions  of  friendship  are  made  in  a  great  meeting  such  as  we  had 
last  night  in  Burlington,  and  the  President  of  the  United  States  makes 
such  statements  as  he  did  in  regard  to  Canada,  there  can  be  no  question 
about  its  influence  upon  the  future  policies  of  this  country,  and  therefore 
I  say  that  this  celebration  is  one  of  the  greatest,  and  I  say  the  greatest 
celebration  that  has  ever  taken  place.  I  believe  it  is  a  fact  that  never 
before  have  the  Canadian  troops  been  reviewed  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  (Applause.)  Now,  to  show  you  that  what  I  say  is  true, 
I  want  to  say  to  you  that  Ambassador  Jusserand  was  obliged  to  leave  for 
Washington  last  evening.  He  went  because  of  his  obligation,  and  not 
because  he  wanted  to,  and  he  said  to  me  before  he  left,  "  Mr.  Governor, 
I  am  unwilling  that  you  should  hold  your  celebration  on  Isle  La  Motte 
without  the  uniform  of  France  being  represented."  (Applause.)  "  I 
shall  delegate  my  representative  to  be  there  and  act  for  me,"  and  it  gives 
me  the  greatest  pleasure  at  this  time  to  introduce  to  you  that  representative. 
Commander  d'Azy. 


320  State  of  New  York 


Isle  La  Motte:    Remarks  of  Lieut.  d'Azy 

Lieutenant  DE  Vaisseau  Benoist  d'Azy  —  Mr.  Covernor  of  Vermont,  Mr. 
Governor  of  New  York,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  appreciate  very  highly  the 
honor  of  representing  on  this  marvellous  island  the  Ambassador  of  the  French 
Republic.  As  a  sailor  and  as  a  friend  of  your  glorious  country  I  rejoice  that  I 
have  been  chosen  to  bring  to  your  sympathetic  company  the  expression  of  our 
friendly  feelings.  Our  Ambassador  has  expressed  our  feelings  better  than  I  can. 
I  should  have  regretted  it  had  I  lost  the  opportunity  to  bring  here  for  the  first  time 
after  so  many  years  a  French  military  uniform,  which  this  country  seems  not  to  be 
willing  to  forget.  (Applause.)  I  thank  you  for  this  opportunity  given  to  me  to 
have  my  dream  realized,  and  v^^sh  I  could  better  express  to  you  my  feelings.  I  am 
the  proper  man  to  have  them,  and  would  like  to  be  also  the  one  who  might  develop 
their  intensity.  (Applause.)  Perhaps  some  people  may  believe  that  the  French 
Naval  Academy  is  a  school  of  English  speakers.  I  hope  you  will  be  kind  enough 
to  let  them  know  it  is  not  so  (laughter),  and  that  one  of  the  graduates  of  that 
school  made  in  your  honor  an  audacious  experiment  and  finished  his  very  short  and 
maiden  speech  in  French.     (Applause.) 

Lieutenant  d'Azy  then  addressed  the  audience  in  French. 

J'essayais  de  vous  dire  en  Anglais,  combien  j'ai  ete  emu  en  mettant  le  pied  sur 
cette  lie  si  belle,  ce  bouquet  de  verdure  sur  une  glace  d'asur,  en  mettant  le  pied  sur 
cette  terre  ou  mes  aines  m'ont  precede,  joyeux  soldats,  audacieux  ancetres,  bravement 
immites  encore  par  nos  soldats  de  France. 

Au  Tonkin,  a  Madagascar,  en  Afrique,  au  milieu  des  sables  ardents  du  desert,  le 
petit  pioupiou  sonne  encore  sa  fanfare  joyeuse  sans  avoir  jamais  pense  a  se 
decourager.  Qu'importe  de  tomber  si  la  partie  a  ete  belle?  Alors  meme  qu'elle 
resterait  oublie? 

Combien  en  est  il  de  ceux  la  dont  personne  ne  saura  jamais  le  sacrifice? 

Aujourd'hui  j'assiste  a  un  spectacle  plein  de  consolations  pour  mon  coeur  de 
soldat.  Des  heros  oublies  depuis  plus  de  cent  annees  tressaillent  a  votre  voix.  On 
me  le  disait  tout  a  I'heure.  L'ombre  de  Champlain  et  de  ses  successeurs  plane  au 
milieu  de  nous. 

Vous  avez  fait  la,  en  venerant  le  passe  Facte  le  plus  grand  que  puisse  faire  un 
peuple  qui  pense  a  son  avenir,  qui  veut  voir  se  continuer  son  glorieux  elan.  Vos 
braves  de  demain  sauront  comment  vous  honorerez  leurs  vertus.  lis  sauront  qu'ils 
peuvent  verser  pour  votre  honneur  et  pour  votre  bonheur  jusqu'a  la  derniere  goutte 
de  leur  sang,  et  que  vous  apprecierez  leur  devouement. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  321 

Vous  eles  un  grand  peuple,  sage,  plein  de  jugement,  enthousiaste.  Les  charmantes 
fees  qui  cultivent  au  milieu  de  vous  tant  de  delicatesse  et  que  je  salue  ici  devant 
moi  ont  droit  a  un  hommage  qu'il  vous  sera  tres  doux  de  leur  rendre.  Parmi  ces 
sentiments,  la  reconnaissance  pour  le  sacrifice  et  rabnegation,  I'admiration  du  soldat 
qui  fait  son  devoir  est  I'un  des  plus  beaux. 

Merci  aujourd'hui,  merci  de  votre  veneration  pour  ces  pioruiiers  fran^ais  qui  se 
sont  inscrits  dans  votre  histoire. 

Merci  pour  le  soldat  frangais  qui  continue  la  tradition  de  ses  aines. 

Enfin  laissez  moi  iinir  par  un  voeu,  par  un  souhait  qui  a  deja  commence  a  se 
realiser. 

Puissent  vos  beaux  soldats  que  j'ai  admires  tant  dans  I'Etat  de  Vermont  que  dans 
I'Etat  de  N.  Y.  continuer  a  etre  I'orgueil  de  votre  beau  pays.  Leurs  lauriers 
portent  des  fruits  de  paix.  Leur  honneur  est  le  votre,  leur  grandeur  sera  la  grandeur 
de  votre  Star  Spangled  Banner,  que  je  vois  deja  dans  une  aureole  de  gloire. 

Governor  Prouty  —  Champlain  in  his  narrative  has  created  consider- 
able discussion  and  made  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  Possibly  we  may  be 
able  to  clear  up  some  matters  here  to-day.  I  believe  he  says  that  as  he 
passed  down  the  lake  he  noticed  that  the  tops  of  the  mountains  were 
covered  with  snow.  I  think  that  has  always  troubled  the  historians, 
because  so  far  as  you  and  I  can  remember,  I  hardly  think  we  have  ever 
seen  the  tops  of  the  mountains  covered  with  snow  in  July,  But  I  think  I 
have  found  out  why  the  climate  has  changed  so  much  here.  We  heard 
the  other  day  about  the  Lady  of  the  Snows  from  our  Governor  of  New 
York.  Now,  I  have  found,  since  this  celebration  began,  that  we  have 
hot  air  enough  coming  over  from  New  York  to  melt  all  the  snow  on  the 
mountains.  (Laughter.)  And  I  want  to  introduce  to  you  a  gentleman 
to-day  who  brings  with  him  hot  air,  but  brings  with  him  the  good  will  of 
New  York,  as  I  am  sure  you  will  find  out. 

Governor  Hughes  at  Isle  La  Motte 

Governor  HUGHES —  CovernoT  Proul\},  Distinguished  Cuests,  FelloJ»  Citizens: 
I  cannot  tell  you  how  glad  I  am  finally  to  have  reached  the  spot  where  Champlain 
made  his  discovery.  (Laughter.)  We  first  visited  the  field  of  carnage,  then  we 
fed  the  pride  of  Plattsburgh,  and  bowed  before  the  pomp  of  Burlington  (laughter), 
and  now  at  last,  having  fattened  these  ambitions,  we  may  really  celebrate. 
(Laughter  and  applause.)  I  am  very  glad  that  Champlain  chose  such  a  delightful 
22 


322  State  of  New  York 


spot  for  his  discovery.  I  am  not  surprised  at  all  to  find  that  the  place  he  first 
landed  upon  was  in  Vermont.  We  are  in  Vermont  (laughter),  the  Governor  of 
Vermont  has  spoken,  and  when  he  speaks  New  Yorkers  in  his  jurisdiction  keep 
silent.  (Laughter.)  For  who  shall  meet  the  boasts  of  Vermont?  If  you  ever 
have  a  centenary  of  the  claims  of  this  favored  State  I  want  to  be  here.  (Laughter 
and  applause.)  And  I  will  now  concede  that  you  claim  all  that  is  good,  and  have 
much  of  it.  I  wear  upon  ray  bosom,  over  my  heart,  the  insignia  of  New  York  and 
Vermont  (applause),  and  in  this  bi-partizan  capacity,  I  salute  you  as  fellow  citi- 
zens and  friends.  Whenever  you  grow  cold  in  your  fastnesses  and  desire  to  feel 
again  the  cheering  warmth  of  the  Empire  State,  look  westward  (laughter)  ;  let  your 
hearts  once  more  glow  with  fraternity,  because  you  cannot  look  across  at  us  vdthout 
feeling  the  warm  friendship  which  goes  out  to  you  and  inevitably  must  return. 

It  is  appropriate  that  on  this  last  day  we  should  come  here  to  this  spot  of  rare 
beauty,  where  we  can  see  what  Champlain  first  saw,  very  nearly.  We  speak  of  the 
charm  of  the  discovery.  Each  one  of  us  must  feel  that  charm  as  for  the  first  time 
we  look  upon  the  glories  of  this  lake.  And  it  is  appropriate  that  we  should  come  to 
a  place  which  has  been  associated  in  memory  with  those  characteristics  of  Cham- 
plain  which  the  addresses  of  the  week  have  emphasized  and  we  should  never  forget. 
This  has  been  the  scene  of  preparation  for  war,  both  of  savages  and  of  civilized 
man.  At  this  place  have  gathered  those  who  are  bent  upon  conquest  and  destruc- 
tion. But  here  pre-eminently  was  and  is  the  place  of  worship.  Here  we  return 
after  visiting  the  battlefields,  the  final  result  of  which  was  our  independence  as  a 
nation,  after  witnessing  the  grateful  prosperity  of  the  cities  of  the  two  States,  to 
learn  again  the  lesson  that  religious  faith  must  ever  be  the  motive  power  of  humanity, 
and  whatever  might  become  of  despotism  with  or  without  it,  it  is  absolutely  essential 
to  democracy.      (Applause.) 

Along  our  different  paths  we  seek  the  same  goal,  and  in  our  different  ways  we 
recognize  the  supremacy  of  Providence;  and  I  am  glad  that  at  this  last  hour  of  the 
celebration  we  meet  in  a  hallowed  place.  We  remove  ourselves  to  a  large  degree 
from  the  scene  of  conflict;  we  are  prompted  through  the  perspective  of  the  centuries 
to  forget  differences  of  creed;  we  are  led  the  more  to  rejoice  in  modern  tolerance  and 
in  the  security  of  religious  liberty,  and  we  come  here  to  a  place  of  consecration  to 
appreciate  with  just  estimate  the  victories  of  faith,  to  do  honor  to  Champlain  for 
his  piety  and  purity,  and  to  resolve  that  in  our  different  circumstances  we  will  seek 
to  be  guided  by  the  same  high  motives  and  to  make  the  same  loyal  submission  to  the 
Providence  of  God,  in  whom  we  trust.     (Applause.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  323 

Governor  Prouty  —  At  this  time  we  are  about  to  do  something  which 
has  taken  place  at  every  one  of  the  principal  celebrations  during  the 
week,  because  it  does  seem  extremely  fitting  that  we  should  in  some  way 
create  something  which  shall  stay  with  us,  which  shall  become  dear  to  us 
in  the  way  of  song,  and  therefore,  at  each  time,  some  one  has  provided  a 
song  for  us  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  at  this  time  we  are  going  to 
present  such,  and  I  now  present  to  you  Professor  John  Erskine,  who  will 
deliver  a  poem  appropriate  to  the  occasion. 

CHAMPLAIN 

By  John  Erskine 

I 

The  mind  that  once  aspires  shall  never  rest. 
But  mounts  eternally  from  quest  to  quest. 
Winged  forever;  still  in  us  they  live 
Who  to  the  golden  welcome  of  our  West 

Followed  their  dreams  and  found  their  visions  true  — 
Builders  of  states  and  realms,  themselves  tho'  few. 
Yet  without  measure  prodigal,  who  gave 
From  their  own  hearts  the  seed  whence  nations  grew. 

Lords  of  the  spirit!     Shakespeare's  thought  divined 
Hamlet  and  Lear,  dark  frontiers  of  the  mind; 
And  Galileo  in  his  wandering  star 
Sweet  purpose  found  and  heaven's  will  defined; 

And  leagued  with  Spain,  the  son  of  Italy 
His  fabled  Eldorado  reached;  and  he 
Who  in  the  new  world  was  the  mind  of  France, 
Found  in  the  wilderness  this  inland  sea. 

II 

Child  of  his  age,  to  wander  and  explore. 
The  quest  in  him  its  kindliest  fashion  wore  — 
By  simple  faith  devoutly  led,  not  driven. 
He  set  God's  kingdom  on  this  northern  shore. 


324  State  of  New  York 


As  a  true  son  his  father's  form  and  face 
Inlierits,  from  his  long-beheving  race 
His  spirit  drew  its  strength,  and  God  unchanged 
In  his  adventure  dwelt  with  antique  grace. 

Love  of  forbidden  worship,  nor  desire 
Of  freedom  laid  in  him  the  wandering  fire. 
But  love  of  danger  and  the  will  to  find  — 
The  wide-winged  soul  that  can  not  but  aspire. 

They  shall  have  honor  till  our  land  shall  cease. 
Stern  fathers  who  brought  England  overseas. 
Restless  for  conscience,  wed  to  homeless  truth: 
He  too  hath  honor  who  had  faith  and  peace. 

For  him  each  bright  adventure  and  heaven's  doom 
Were  undivided  joy ;  he  could  not  roam 
Where  life  and  his  own  spirit  were  not  one. 
And  on  this  inland  sea  he  was  at  home. 

Ill 

The  sea  was  in  his  blood ;  the  rhythmic  urge 
Cradled  his  race;  and  from  the  patient  merge 
The  mothers  of  his  grandsire  and  his  sire 
Gave  back  their  children  to  the  ocean  surge; 

So  when  the  northern  forests  backward  rolled 

And  his  impatient  eyes  beheld  unfold 

This  inland  mystery  of  sea  and  isle 

And  mirrored  heaven  spreading  blue  and  bold. 

The  quickened  blood  pulsed  faster  in  his  breast. 
His  calm  cheek  flushed  with  joy  else  unconfest; 
Boy-like  he  loved  adventure,  man-like,  truth. 
But  poet-like  loved  truth  in  nature  best. 

For  him  the  sea  was  nature  —  her  divine 
Familiar  beauty  cheered  his  heart  like  wine ; 
And  where  she  met  him  at  his  wandering's  end, 
Here  on  this  lonely  isle  he  set  a  shrine. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  325 


IV 

Columbus  on  his  midnight  deck  alone; 
Balboa  knee-deep  in  the  Pacific  foam; 
In  this  wild  harborage  the  child  of  France  — 
One  deathless  moment  each  hath  made  his  own. 

So  to  this  isle  forever  he  draws  near; 
His  cautious,  hthe  canoe  still  beaches  here; 
And  from  much  time  and  dust  and  vagueness,  he. 
As  from  a  faded  portrait  stands  forth  clear. 

Quaint  flowing  locks,  stiff  dress  of  long-gone  years. 
Armor  uncouth,  strange  gun  and  sword  he  wears. 
O  Captain,  lonely  'mongst  thine  Indian  crew, 
Knowest  thou  what  dearer  freight  thy  frail  craft  bears? 

Here  thou  didst  bring,  here  shalt  thou  bring  for  aye. 
The  seeking  heart,  fain  of  the  long  highway 
From  the  worm's  troubled  yearning  leading  up 
Where  to  know  all  shall  hght  man  more  than  day; 

Here  didst  thou  bring,  unguessed,  man's  loftiest  fate. 

Freedom,  whereto  our  blood  is  consecrate; 

O  humble  argosy,  in  thee  was  brought 

Man's  hope  in  man,  whence  sprang  out  mighty  state! 

Vision  and  freedom  —  the  soul's  twofold  wing 
That  brought  thee  hither,  hither  didst  thou  bring. 
Where  yet  in  grove  and  cliff  they  linger  —  Hark! 
Still  round  this  shore  their  voices  float  and  sing. 

O  resolute  strong  soul  that  sought  and  found. 
First  of  our  race  to  tread  this  virgin  ground. 
Now  the  full  choir  of  thrice  a  hundred  years 
The  faultless  harmony  of  thine  honor  sound. 

Live  still,  and  most,  in  our  desire  to  find 
Unknown  horizons  —  prisoned  truth  unbind. 
Into  the  darkness  of  the  secret  world 
Bearing  the  light  of  thy  aspiring  mind! 


326  State  of  New  York 

Ours  be  thy  strength,  thy  simple  faith  be  ours. 
And  peace  in  nature,  whence  thy  spirit's  powers. 
And   for  our  hope,  thy  tender-cherished  fame. 
That  from  this  shrine  forever  buds  and  flowers. 

Governor  ProutY  —  As  has  been  so  well  said  by  the  Governor  of 
New  York,  it  seems  as  though  this  was  the  place  where  we  should  sum 
up  all  the  lessons  that  have  been  learned  by  the  celebration,  where  we 
should  take  to  ourselves  its  lessons,  and  it  is  therefore  with  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure  that  I  introduce  to  you  the  next  speaker,  because  I  know  of  no 
one  who  is  better  fitted  to  do  this;  I  know  of  no  one  to  whom  I  would 
delegate  such  a  duty.  He  is  one  of  our  State;  I  personally  have  known 
him  for  many  years,  and  it  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  introduce  to  you 
now  Judge  Wendell  P.  Stafford. 

Address  by  Hon.  Wendell  P.  Stafford 

Your  Excellencies,  Fellori)  Citizens  of  the  Creat  Republic,  and  Dear  Friends 
Every  One:  When  I  was  in  Buffalo  last  winter  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill  took 
me  to  see  the  home  of  the  Historical  Society.  It  stands  on  the  reputed  scene  of 
ancient  Indian  gatherings.  Over  one  of  its  arches  runs  a  legend  in  the  dialect  of 
the  Senecas:  Neh-Ko,  Ca-Cis-Dah-Yen-Duk.  "Other  council-fires  were  here 
before  ours."  I  was  thinking  of  that  legend  as  I  sat  here  to-day  and  thinking  how 
few  were  the  places  over  all  the  earth  where  some  such  words  might  not  with  truth 
be  written,  if  we  could  only  know  all  that  has  gone  before  for 

All  tKat  tread  the  globe  are  but  a  handful  (o  the  tribes  that  slumber  in  its  bosom.' 

But  such  thoughts  are  overpowering.  They  make  the  life  of  man  seem  insig- 
nificant.    Let  us  turn  at  once  to  more  congenial  themes. 

Sixteen  hundred  and  nine  is  a  year  well  worth  remembering  even  without  the 
reason  that  has  brought  us  here.  That  was  the  year  when  Kepler  gave  the  world 
the  New  Astronomy,  with  the  first  and  second  of  his  three  great  laws.  Galileo 
was  constructing  his  telescope,  with  which,  a  few  months  later,  he  discovered  the 
satellites  of  Jupiter.  Henry  Hudson  was  sailing  up  the  noble  river  that  was 
ever  afterward  to  bear  his  name.  Two  years  before,  the  London  Company  had 
planted  Jamestown.  It  was  only  six  years  from  the  death  of  Queen  Ehzabeth. 
It  was  only  a  year  to  the  death  of  Henry  of  Navarre.  The  world  was  ringing 
with  great  names  and  great  achievements.  The  soul  of  man  was  putting  out  its 
wings. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  327 

When  Champlain  passed  the  place  where  we  now  stand,  he  was  possibly  42 
years  old  —  at  the  prime  of  life,  in  the  full  flower  of  his  strength.  For  a  dozen 
years  he  had  followed  the  sea,  as  his  father  had  done  before  him.  He  had  been 
born  in  one  of  its  ports  on  the  shore  of  France.  He  had  seen  Spain  and  Mexico, 
Panama  and  the  West  Indies.  He  had  crossed  and  recrossed  the  Atlantic.  He  had 
cruised  and  mapped  the  New  England  coast,  sailed  up  the  broad  St.  Lawrence, 
and  only  the  year  before  had  laid  the  foundations  of  Quebec.  Much  lay  behind 
him  but  at  least  as  much  before.  He  was  yet  to  make  many  voyages,  to  explore 
the  Ottawa,  to  discover  two  of  the  Great  Lakes  —  Ontario  and  Huron  —  and  to 
stand  in  the  place  of  his  King  as  Governor  of  Canada.  He  belonged  to  that  great 
breed  of  men  the  age  brought  forth  abundantly  —  a  scholar  and  a  soldier.  He 
knew  how  to  act  as  well  as  think;  he  could  fight  as  well  as  pray.  He  had  courage 
to  push  out  into  the  wilderness,  and  science  to  make  clear  his  course,  and  language 
to  record  for  after  times  what  he  had  seen  and  done  —  a  hand  firm  on  the  tiller 
of  state,  a  heart  devoted  to  the  cross.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  a  better  type  of 
the  France  of  his  day  —  able,  ambitious,  devout  —  grasping  for  King  and  church 
at  the  best  the  new  world  had  to  offer. 

He  had  a  Frenchman's  love  of  beauty  and  these  lovely  islands  took  his  eye. 
We  will  not  doubt  to-day  that  he  stopped  here.  How  could  he  have  passed  by 
this  emerald  gem  set  in  the  sapphire  sea?  Low  islands  he  says  he  saw,  beautiful 
with  meadows  and  the  noblest  trees,  ranged  over  by  the  fawn  and  stag  and  fallow- 
deer.  His  words  are  no  riddles  to  us.  These  are  the  very  islands  that  he  saw, 
and  they  charm  our  eyes  to-day  as  they  did  his  300  years  ago.  The  guides  told 
him  they  had  once  been  inhabited  by  Indians  but  the  merciless  wars  that  raged 
between  the  northern  and  the  southern  tribes  had  driven  them  away.  They  lay 
upon  the  war  path,  right  in  the  track  of  carnage.  Caniadenguarunle  the  natives 
called  it  —  the  gateway.  It  was  indeed  the  very  gate  through  which  the  tides  of 
ancient  Indian  battle  ebbed  and  flowed  —  the  fairest  spot  on  earth,  almost,  and 
yet  the  most  exposed  and  perilous.  The  coming  of  the  white  man  was  not  the 
coming  of  peace  but  rather  the  coming  of  more  deadly  war.  Here,  where  the  red 
man's  council  fires  had  burned,  the  white  man's  fort  was  built  —  the  first  within 
the  boundaries  that  embrace  Vermont,  and,  in  the  shelter  of  the  fort,  the  earliest 
Christian  chapel.  In  1 665  or  1 666  the  fort  was  built  by  Captain  de  La  Motte 
and  the  first  mass  was  said.  That  is  the  simple  story,  but  think  how  much  it  means. 
The  pale-face  did  bring  war,  war  that  was  to  sweep  native  races  to  their  doom, 
war,  even  with  his  own  kind,  ruthless  and  insatiable.  But  he  brought  with  him  also 
the  holy,  blessed  truths  that  will  yet  overcome  all  hearts  and  make  all  war  impos- 
sible.    Fort  Ste.  Anne  was  burned  by  the  French  themselves  but  five  years  later. 


328  State  of  New  York 


It  was  only  a  halting,  hesitating  step,  a  foot  thrust  out  into  the  wild  and  then 
withdrawn;  yet  it  marked  the  beginning  of  a  movement  in  this  valley  that  was  to 
be  continued  for  a  century  —  a  determined  but  unsuccessful  effort  to  plant  the 
banner  of  the  fleur  de  lis  in  the  very  heart  of  New  England.  Here  the  two  proudest 
nations  of  the  old  world  were  to  have  their  final  grapple  for  the  fairest  portion  of 
the  new.  As  it  had  been  before  the  white  man  came  so  was  it  still  to  be  —  the 
valley  of  beauty  was  the  highway  of  war.  The  basin  of  the  St.  Lawrence  was 
peopled  by  the  French.  The  coast  of  the  Atlantic  from  Cape  Breton  to  the  south 
was  peopled  by  their  hated  rivals.  That  was  enough.  Here  ran  the  unpeopled 
passage-way  between  the  two,  and  for  a  hundred  years  none  but  a  fool  would  have 
built  a  home  beyond  the  shelter  of  a  fort  in  all  these  fertile  acres.  Swanton  had  a 
half-breed  settlement,  perhaps,  from  1 700  to  1 760.  Over  there  on  Windmill 
Point  in  Alburgh,  in  1731,  the  French  tried  hard  to  keep  a  foothold,  but  it  was 
soon  abandoned.  The  same  year  or  the  next  they  began  their  southern  Gibraltar 
at  Crown  Point  in  Fort  St.  Frederic;  and  there  and  at  Chimney  Point  on  the 
eastern  shore,  a  musket-shot  away,  a  little  French  village  sprang  up  and  flourished 
for  25  or  30  years.  But  that  is  all  the  tale.  The  rest  is  the  story  of  fortifications 
built,  abandoned  or  destroyed,  rebuilt,  retaken  or  given  to  the  flames  —  like  old 
Fort  Carillon  that  afterwards  became  Ticonderoga. 

In  1757  the  greatest  man  in  England  took  the  reins  and  in  two  years  the  French 
dream  of  North  American  dominion  had  dissolved.  William  Pitt  was  master. 
Quebec  was  taken.  CrovsTi  Point  and  Ticonderoga  were  in  English  hands,  and  the 
red  horrors  of  I  50  years  were  to  be  thenceforward  but  a  thrilling  fireside  tale. 

The  legends  of  that  ghastly  time  lie  all  around  us;  and  memories  of  the  later 
wars  that  swept  the  lake  are  thick  as  leaves  of  summer  and  colored  like  the  leaves 
of  autumn  with  glory  and  romance.  We  have  only  to  reach  out  our  hands  to  take 
them.  For  seven  days  now  the  conjurer's  wand  has  been  waved  over  this  lovely 
valley  calling  the  dead  to  hfe.  We  have  gone  through  the  wicket  gate  of  old  Fort 
Ti  step  for  step  with  Allen.  We  have  seen  Arnold,  still  wearing  the  rose  of  his 
loyalty  uncankered  by  the  worm  of  treason.  We  have  fought  with  him  his  desperate 
fight  at  Valcour  and  leaped  with  him  from  his  flaming  bowsprit  at  Panton.  We 
have  watched  the  British  fleet  weigh  anchor  off  this  shore  and  move  southward  to 
its  doom  at  the  hands  of  the  invincible  Macdonough.  Memorial  and  procession, 
speech  and  song  and  pageant  have  taken  up  the  threads  of  ancient,  half- forgotten 
life,  and  made  the  glowing  pattern  live  anew.  Again  we  see  the  plumed  and  painted 
savage  on  the  trail,  the  settler  working  with  his  flint-lock  in  the  hollow  of  his  arm, 
the  highlander  in  his  plaid,  the  hireling  Hessian  in  his  scarlet  coat,  the  colonist  in 
his  deer  skin  or  his  buff  and  blue,  the  French  and  British  regulars  who  wear  upon 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  329 


their  breasts  the  trophies  of  world-famous  battles  over-sea.  And  as  we  look  we 
seem  to  see  the  gathering  of  the  nations,  not  now  for  war  but  for  the  beginning  of 
a  new  era  under  happier  skies. 

Three  hundred  years.  It  sounds  like  eternity  in  the  ears  of  a  child.  And  yet 
four  mortal  lives,  and  those  not  very  long,  might  compass  it.  There  must  be  many 
living  in  the  world  to-day  whose  great  grandfathers  could  have  remembered  1  609. 
In  the  long  march  of  the  world's  progress  it  is  less  than  a  watch  in  the  night.  There 
have  been  periods  of  three  hundred  years  that  signified  nothing  in  the  life  of  man. 
They  came  and  went  like  waves  upon  the  beach,  leaving  no  mark  behind  them. 
But  the  three  hundred  years  that  lie  behind  us  in  our  thought  to-day  have  filled  the 
earth  with  marvels.  Even  the  physical  aspect  of  the  earth  has  been  transformed. 
In  1 609  the  Western  Hemisphere  was  scarcely  pricked  by  the  explorer,  and  see 
it  now!  Africa  was  a  desert  and  a  jungle.  It  is  swarming  now  with  eager  nations. 
Asia  was  a  mystery  and  a  dream,  a  fabulous,  enchanted  palace  whose  gold  and 
ivory  portals  western  feet  were  yet  to  pass.  Its  doors  are  open  now  and  east  and 
west  are  mingling.  Three  centuries  ago  the  Pacific  was  a  sail-less  sea.  Now  on 
its  opposing  shores  the  eastern  and  western  worlds  stand  face  to  face  and  the 
struggles  and  rivalries  of  the  coming  age  will  be  upon  its  bosom.  Hawaii,  New 
Zealand,  Australia,  the  Central  and  South  American  Republics  —  what  were 
these?  They  were  not  even  names  three  centuries  ago.  Even  Europe,  that  has 
sent  her  millions  to  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  has  herself,  increased  enormously  in 
numbers.     In  the  I  9th  century  alone  her  population  more  than  doubled. 

We  seem  standing  in  the  presence  of  a  miracle.  And  yet  all  these  changes  are 
as  nothing  to  the  changes  that  have  come  to  pass  in  the  life  of  man  through  the 
discoveries  of  science.  Modern  science  —  practical  modern  science  —  began  with 
Francis  Bacon,  and  he  did  not  publish  his  "  Novum  Organum  "  until  I  620  —  less 
than  three  centuries  ago.  He  taught  men  to  invent  by  teaching  them  how  to  study 
nature,  and  died  in  consequence  of  an  experiment.  Following  the  path  he  pointed 
out  and  turning  their  backs  on  the  barren  speculation  of  the  ancients,  men  have 
made  existence  on  this  planet  a  comfort  and  a  joy  to  millions  where  it  was  once  a 
gift  hardly  to  be  accepted.  For  it  is  not  merely  that  we  make  a  thousand  miles 
to-day  as  quickly  and  more  easily  than  our  ancestors  could  make  ten  or  twenty. 
It  is  not  that  we  speak  with  each  other  across  continents,  and  flash  our  thought 
and  feeling  under  the  deep  sea,  or  make  the  waves  of  air  bear  messages  from  one 
world  to  the  other.  It  is  not  that  the  wealth  of  the  east  is  brought  to  the  door  of 
the  west  and  the  product  of  the  west  is  poured  out  upon  the  threshold  of  the  east. 
This  is  not  the  true  and  solid  ground  for  our  rejoicing;  but  that  by  all  these  means 
and  many  others  the  life  of  common  men  upon  the  globe  has  been  made  something 


330  State  of  New  York 


better.  The  fat  years  now  are  able  to  help  out  the  lean.  India  in  her  famine  may 
now  be  fed  by  Kansas  in  her  plenty.  Earthshaken  Sicily  may  perhaps  find  hope 
and  succor  in  a  battleship  that  flies  the  stars  and  stripes.  Multitudes,  not  here  and 
there  a  solitary  man,  may  feel  the  broadening  influence  of  travel.  All  may  know 
what  all  the  rest  are  doing.  And  that  means  confidence.  It  means  the  end  of 
ignorant  mistrust  and  fear  and  so  it  means  the  end  of  half  the  cause  of  war.  Once 
all  peoples  were  strangers  to  each  other,  and  stranger  was  another  name  for  enemy. 
And  so  it  is  that  all  the  rest  science  has  done  for  men  is  almost  nothing  to  the 
blessing  it  has  brought  about  in  this,  that  we  are  nearer  to  a  world-wide  union,  to 
that  happy  time  the  noble  hearted  Burns  foretold  "  when  man  to  man  the  world 
o'er  shall  brothers  be  for  a'that." 

Then  see  how  the  forms  of  government  have  changed  since  Champlain  visited  this 
island.  Feudalism  was  indeed  already  doomed.  It  was  singing  its  swan  song  by 
the  lips  of  Shakespeare.  A  new  spirit  had  passed  over  Europe.  It  was  to  take 
generations  to  throw  off  the  yoke.  It  is  not  yet  thrown  off  entirely.  But  there 
was  not  a  single  free  government  in  the  world  three  hundred  years  ago.  There  was 
not  a  single  nation  that  recognized  the  obvious  fact  that  I  have  no  more  right  to 
govern  you  than  you  have  to  govern  me  —  that  every  one  who  is  expected  to  obey 
the  law  has  a  right  to  be  heard  in  saying  what  that  law  shall  be.  I  say  there  was 
not  a  single  state  in  the  world  300  years  ago  that  had  the  sense  or  justice  to  admit 
that  simple  truth  —  not  even  with  respect  to  its  men,  to  say  nothing  of  its  women. 
Now  we  have  advanced  so  far  that  many  governments  do  admit  in  theory  or  in 
practice  that  their  just  powers  are  derived  entirely  from  the  governed.  What  a 
gain  is  that!  A  year  before  the  date  we  are  observing  John  Milton  was  born 
in  London.  His  life  spans  the  English  Revolution,  the  highest  achievement,  the 
crowning  glory  of  the  English  race.  A  century  later  came  our  owti  brave  struggle 
for  independence.  And  that  was  not  at  bottom  a  struggle  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  colonies  but  a  grapple  between  Whig  and  Tory,  a  conflict  that  was  going 
on  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Then  came  the  French  Revolution  freeing  France, 
and  Europe,  too,  from  the  intolerable  tyranny  of  the  past,  and  destined  to  open 
the  prison  door  for  every  people.  And  the  French  Revolution  was  in  large  part  a 
consequence  of  our  own.  Look  about  the  world  to-day.  See  how  the  principles 
of  free  government,  encouraged  by  their  success  upon  this  continent,  are  shaking 
every  throne  upon  the  globe.  Look  at  Russia  travailing  in  the  throes  of  her  new 
birth  of  freedom.  See  Young  Turkey  on  the  shores  of  the  Bosphorus  making  good 
its  claim  to  constitutional  government.  See  Persia  awaking  from  her  revery  and 
old  China  turning  from  the  slumber  of  four  thousand  years.  We  marvel  at  the 
changes  that  have  come  to  pass  in  the  appearance  of  the  earth  since  1609.  We 
marvel  still  more  at  the  changes  in  the  life  of  man  through  the  wizardry  of  science. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  331 


But  here  is  a  marvel  that  cheapens  both  of  these  —  the  coming  of  the  common  man 
into  his  own.  The  reign  of  the  common  people  has  begun.  The  fact  of  deepest 
import  in  this  wonderful  era  is  not  Discovery  nor  Development,  no.  not  even 
Science.  It  is  Democracy  —  man  shaking  off  the  fetters  that  have  bound  him  in 
all  ages  and  standing  erect  and  free  as  God  would  have  him  stand.  Really  that 
is  all  there  is.  The  mere  increase  of  numbers,  the  mere  spreading  of  mankind 
through  distant  lands,  that  is,  in  itself,  no  rational  ground  for  our  rejoicing.  Even 
the  revelations  of  science  would  not  justify  our  joy  if  they  meant  nothing  more 
than  a  new  might  in  the  hands  of  the  old  masters.  What  we  exult  in  is  the  tremen- 
dous fact  that  now  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  the  whole  race 
moves  together.  Intelligence  is  so  diffused  and  freedom  is  so  general  that  every 
addition  to  knowledge  or  to  power  is  an  addition  to  a  common  store  and  all  men 
are  made  richer.  That  was  not  so  in  other  times.  There  was  great  learning  then 
but  it  was  kept  in  some  close  cult,  like  that  of  the  priests  in  Egypt.  There  was 
transcendental  art  but  it  was  for  the  few,  not  for  the  many.  Nero  held  the  supreme 
artist  of  his  age  a  prisoner  for  life  to  decorate  his  private  palace,  the  famous  House 
of  Gold.  Science  was  carried  far  in  individual  cases.  The  chemist  and  artisan 
of  the  ancient  day  wrought  miracles  whose  secret  modern  times  have  not  discovered. 
But  their  skill  and  cunning  perished  with  them  for  it  was  not,  as  ours  is,  the  posses- 
sion of  the  race.  The  art  and  learning  of  the  antique  world,  except,  perhaps,  the 
learning  and  the  art  of  Greece,  carried  the  seeds  of  decay  in  their  own  bosom  in  this 
very  fact,  that  they  did  not  trust  the  people  —  they  did  not  give  themselves  unto  the 
world.  Our  art  and  science  do  and  so  they  live  and  grow  and  ever  will.  For  the  way 
to  call  the  heaven  born  genius  forth  is  to  give  the  opportunity  of  culture  and 
enlightenment  to  all.  Educate  the  millions,  and  while  you  are  making  of  the 
millions  better  men  and  safer  citizens,  you  are  making  sure  of  that  half  dozen 
really  master  minds  among  them  whose  contribution  to  the  common  stock  of  the 
world's  power  and  knowledge  will  recompense  a  hundred  fold  the  outlay  you  have 
lavished  upon  all.  Edison  was  a  poor,  uncultivated  boj';  yet  he  found  his  oppor- 
tunity because  he  lived  in  a  time  and  land  where  opportunity  is  universal.  What 
is  the  chance  that  he  would  have  come  to  light  in  the  middle  ages?  Look  at 
Orville  and  Wilbur  Wright  leading  the  world  to  the  dominion  of  the  air.  Quiet, 
obscure  men  —  they  would  have  gone  unnoticed  to  their  graves  if  it  had  not  been 
for  freedom  and  the  common  school.  These  are  the  returning  harvest  of  the  seed 
our  fathers  sowed.  Trust  the  people,  make  education  common  as  the  street,  and 
you  shall  reap  your  reward  in  the  steamboat  and  the  telegraph,  in  Emersons  and 
Lincolns,  in  Marconis  and  St.  Gaudens. 

We  cannot  claim  that  in  the  realm  of  art,  letters  and  philosophy  we  have  out- 
stripped the  past.   Lest  we  should  wax  too  proud  it  may  be  well  to  acknowledge  here 


332  State  of  New  York 


and  now  that  the  masterpieces  of  poetry,  painting  and  sculpture,  the  deepest  brood- 
ings  of  the  human  spirit  over  the  riddles  of  destiny,  are  still  to  be  looked  for  back 
of  1 609.  But  there  never  was  before  so  wide  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  such 
capacity  for  the  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  in  the  world  at  large,  so  vast  and 
fit  an  audience  for  the  poet  and  the  seer.  And  if  the  product  of  the  last  three 
centuries  has  not  put  the  past  to  shame  it  has  been  noble  and  inspiring,  and  filled 
to  overflowing  with  a  love  of  man  that  is  worth  all  the  selfish  splendors  of  the  past. 
No  great  writer  any  longer  sneers,  as  even  Shakespeare  sometimes  did,  at  the  man 
below  him.  There  is  no  longer  any  poetry  in  that.  The  world-poem  bears  the 
title  of  the  Son  of  Man. 

And  so  we  have  come  back  in  the  end  to  the  point  that  we  set  out  from,  to  the 
chapel  and  the  mass.  For  it  is  not  clearer  to  our  eyes  that  summer  follows  spring 
than  that  the  beneficent  changes  we  have  traced  to-day  with  gratitude  and  joy  have 
followed  from  the  teachings  of  the  Man  of  Galilee.  It  was  He  who  taught  us 
the  divinity  of  man  —  all  the  rest  flows  from  that  —  the  unsuspected  majesty  of 
human  nature.  That  is  why  man  may  not  be  enslaved.  That  is  why  he  shall  not 
be  left  forever  in  ignorance  or  poverty  or  shame.  We  come  back  at  last,  through 
the  things  that  are  ever  changing,  to  the  things  that  never  change.  It  is  as  though 
we  had  been  sitting  here  in  the  shadow  of  the  old  fort  and  listening  to  the  chanting 
of  the  priests  in  that  first  Christian  service  —  and  then  there  had  broken  in  upon 
the  music  the  rattle  of  muskets,  the  yell  of  the  savage,  the  scream  of  the  victim, 
the  shouting  of  seamen,  the  thunder  of  cannon,  the  noise  of  the  tempest,  the  pipes 
of  the  clansmen,  the  song  of  the  pioneer,  the  long,  reverberating  whistle  of  the 
steamer,  the  rumble  and  roar  of  the  approaching  train,  the  hum  of  industry  through 
all  the  valley,  the  babel  of  multitudes  that  come  and  go  —  and  then  again  silence 
had  fallen,  and  we  heard  the  sweet  and  solemn  chant  still  going  on,  and  caught 
the  words,  "  Deposuit  potentes  de  sede  et  exaltavit  humiles."  Ah  yes!  He  has 
put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seat  and  has  exalted  them  of  low  degree.  After 
all,  that  is  the  only  reality  —  the  rest  is  all  a  dream.      (Prolonged  applause.) 

Governor  Prouty  —  There  is  one  thing  I  feel  it  my  duty  and  my  great 
pleasure  to  do,  and  that  is  to  extend  the  thanks  of  the  Vermont  State  Com- 
mission and  of  the  State  to  those  who  have  worked  so  faithfully  here  to 
help  us  in  this  celebration  and  to  provide  these  things  which  are  spread 
before  us,  and  I  wish  to  thank  that  Commission  for  all  they  have  done  and 
done  so  well.  We  could  not  have  had  this  great  pleasure  without  it, 
therefore  it  is  their  due,  and  I  give  it  them  with  the  greatest  pleasure  in 
the  world. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  333 

Following  the  ceremonies  at  the  shrine,  the  greater  part  of  the  assem- 
blage headed  by  a  band  and  escorted  by  Company  "  M,"  Vermont 
Militia  and  Cavalry,  marched  through  the  woods  up  a  neighboring  slope 
for  the  dedication  of  the  boulder  monument  with  bronze  tablet  bearing 
the  following  inscription: 

IN  HONOR  OF  THE  FIRST  WHITE  MEN  WHO  FORTIFIED  THIS  ISLAND  IN   1  666 

IN  MEMORY  OF  THE  SACRIFICES  AND  VALOR  OF 

COLONEL  SETH  WARNER  AND  CAPTAIN  REMEMBER  BAKER 

EMINENT  GREEN  MOUNTAIN  BOYS  AND  PATRIOTS 

AND 

TO  COMMEMORATE  THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  GENERAL  MONTGOMERY 

WHO  ENCAMPED  NEAR  THIS  SPOT  WITH    1200  MEN  IN    1775 

THIS  TABLET   IS   ERECTED   BY  THE 

PATRIOTIC  SOCIETIES  OF  VERMONT  WOMEN 

1909. 

Mrs.  Edward  Curtis  Smith  of  St.  Albans  presided  over  the 
exercises.  The  St.  Albans  Choral  Union  sang  "  To  Thee,  Oh,  Country," 
with  excellent  effect,  and  Mrs.  F.  Stewart  Stranahan,  State  Regent  of 
the  Vermont  Colonial  Dames,  delivered  the  address  of  welcome.  The 
presentation  to  the  State  was  made  by  Mrs.  Clayton  N.  North  of  Shore- 
ham,  State  Regent  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  The 
monument  was  unveiled  by  Miss  Dorothea  Smith,  daughter  of  ex-Gov- 
ernor Smith  of  Vermont,  and  by  Master  Harry  Hill,  son  of  Mr.  Arthur 
H.  Hill  of  Isle  La  Motte,  cousin  of  Senator  Henry  W.  Hill.  Governor 
Thomas  delivered  the  following  dedicatory  address: 

In  memory  of  the  first  white  man  who  founded  Christian  homes  upon  this  fair 
island,  and  in  this  ancient  pathway  of  war  sought  to  establish  homes  of  peace, 

And  in  honor  of  Seth  Warner  and  Remember  Baker,  intrepid  freemen  of  the 
Green  Mountains,  lovers  of  liberty  for  their  children,  for  whose  freedom  they  gave 
their  lives,  who  here  encamped  while  on  perilous  service  for  their  country. 

And  in  commemoration  of  General  Montgomery  and  his  valiant  force  of  1280 
American  patriots. 

We  place  this  boulder  as  a  token  of  our  gratitude  for  their  mighty  deeds  and 
of  our  veneration  for  their  self-annulling  devotion. 

In  the  name  of  our  fathers'  God  we  dedicate  it  to  the  holy  cause  of  patriotism. 
May  it  testify  to  the  men  of  the  present  and  to  the  generations  following  that  love 
of  country  is  the  glory  of  manhood,  and  the  measure  of  human  worth. 


334  State  of  New  York 


We  dedicate  it  also  to  the  sentiment  of  pious  veneration  for  all  brave  men  of 
the  past.  May  all  strong  men  who  look  upon  it  be  made  yet  stronger  in  courage 
and  in  faith,  to  live  for  their  country,  not  for  themselves.  May  all  womanly 
women  who  learn  of  this  pious  act  of  their  patriotic  sisters  gain  more  secure  assur- 
ance of  woman's  participation  in  the  sacrifices  of  war  and  in  the  greater  heroisms 
of  peace,  and  acquire  thereby  the  dignity  that  adds  grace  to  beauty,  and  the  far 
reach  of  vision  that  lends  nobility  to  affection's  charm.  May  the  little  children 
who  spell  out  the  letters  inscribed  upon  it  learn  the  valor  of  their  sires,  and  take 
to  their  tender  hearts  reverence  for  the  courage  that  regards  neither  peril  nor  labor 
in  the  service  of  the  right. 

May  it  be  spared  the  desecration  of  the  vandal,  and  beneath  God's  open  sky, 
withstanding  frost  and  storm,  abide  the  centuries  through,  to  testify  that  the  memory 
of  the  brave  shall  not  perish  while  yonder  lake  sparkles  in  the  sun,  and  that  the 
beautiful  flag  of  freedom  shall  float  over  its  waters  so  long  as  the  great  granite 
peaks  shall  welcome  the  mornings  of  the  bettering  days  of  God. 

At  the  close  of  the  exercises  "  The  Star  Spangled  Banner  "  was  sung 
with  great  enthusiasm,  the  entire  assemblage  joining  in  the  chorus. 

A  feature  of  the  exercises  was  the  presence  of  Mrs.  E.  S.  Parker  of 
St.  Johns,  Quebec,  a  great-granddaughter  of  Seth  Warner.  This  lady 
occupied  a  seat  of  honor  and  placed  a  memorial  wreath  on  the  monument. 

Numerous  other  events  at  various  places  in  the  Champlain  Valley  may 
appropriately  have  brief  mention  in  connection  with  this  report.  The 
final  presentation  of  the  Indian  pageants  occurred  at  Rouse's  Point  on 
the  evening  of  the  9th  inst.  On  Friday  and  Saturday,  at  several  of  the 
smaller  towns,  virtually  holiday  was  observed  with  some  celebration 
featiares.  In  Vermont,  the  towns  of  Swanton,  St.  Albans  and  Vergennes 
had  carried  out  patriotic  programmes  of  more  than  ordinary  interest.  At 
the  last  named  town,  exercises  were  held  on  July  5  th  at  Fort  Cassin  on 
the  historic  Otter  Creek.  In  Burlington,  on  Saturday,  the  1 0th  inst.,  at 
the  University  of  Vermont,  was  unveiled  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of  sol- 
diers of  the  War  of  1812,  the  tablet  being  placed  on  a  building  which 
was  used  as  barracks  for  troops  in  that  war.  It  was  presented  to  the 
University  of  Vermont  by  Mrs.  C.  S.  F.  Jenne  of  Brattleboro,  State 
President  of  the  Society  of  the  Daughters  of  1812,  in  behalf  of  which 
organization  the  presentation  was  made.    TTie  formal  acceptance  was  by 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  335 

President  M.  H.  Buckham  of  the  University,  followed  by  an  address, 
entitled  '*  1812,"  by  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard,  U.  S.  A.,  retired. 

The  exercises  at  Isle  La  Motte  concluded  the  official  programme  of  the 
week's  celebration.  The  visitors  dispersed.  The  flotilla  of  boats,  large 
and  small,  bore  them  away  up  the  lake  on  their  way  to  their  several 
destinations.  But  there  remained,  when  every  visible  sign  of  festivity  had 
been  removed,  a  very  substantial  new  possession  for  the  dwellers  of  the 
valley.  Old  and  young,  all  had  come  into  a  keener  realization  of  the 
significance  of  the  history  of  their  home  region  and  of  its  bearing  upon 
present  day  problems  and  their  relations  as  neighbors  and  citizens  with 
those  who  pay  allegiance  to  other  flags.  Herein  is  gathered  the  chief  fruit 
of  the  whole  undertaking,  and  those  who  labored  to  arrange  the  celebra- 
tion and  to  carry  it  through,  find  their  chief  satisfaction  in  the  conviction 
that  this  week  of  tercentenary  observances  did  something  to  strengthen  the 
bonds  of  friendship  long  existing  between  the  nations  which  have  shared 
in  making  the  history  of  the  Champlain  valley. 

In  the  official  report  of  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commis- 
sion of  Vermont  will  be  found  a  full  account  of  all  the  Tercentenary 
Exercises  held  in  Vermont  as  well  as  a  resume  of  the  work  of  that 
Commission. 

The  cordial  relations  existing  between  the  members  of  that  Commis- 
sion and  the  members  of  the  New  York  Commission,  and  the  general 
disposition  of  the  Commissioners  of  both  States  to  plan  and  carry  forward 
a  bi-State  programme  of  exercises  of  a  very  high  order,  contributed  in 
no  small  degree  to  the  success  of  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary, 
which  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  noted  American  commemo- 
rative celebrations. 

TTie  Tercentenary  drew  to  that  picturesque  and  charming  lake  the 
peoples  of  many  lands  and  made  an  impression  on  all  that  will  endure 
and  tend  to  draw  visitors  thereto  for  years  to  come.  Its  beauties  have 
been  celebrated  in  song  and  its  tragic  history  unfolded  in  prose  and 
pageant  to  the  delight  of  thousands,  who  look  to  its  shimmering  waters, 
its  blue  skies  and  its  overhanging  mountains  as  one  of  America's  most 


336  State  of  New  York 

alluring  attractions.  With  the  completion  of  the  enlarged  Champlain 
canal  and  the  establishment  of  waterway  communication  with  the  his- 
toric Hudson,  it  may  again  become  an  important  highway  for  commerce 
as  well  as  one  of  the  pleasure  resorts  of  the  people  of  this  and  other 
States. 

TTie  stately  Green  mountains  in  the  east,  "  robed  in  transcendent 
light,"  and  the  rugged  Adirondacks  in  the  west,  with  their  towering  and 
occasionally  snow-capped  peaks,  the  two  ranges  separated  by  the  blue 
waters  of  Lake  Champlain  with  all  the  play  of  light  and  shade  and 
fleecy  drifting  clouds,  made  an  impression  on  Champlain  as  on  others 
ever  since,  which  can  not  fail  to  awaken  a  love  for  the  beautiful  and  the 
sublime  in  nature. 

Hudson-Fulton  Celebration 

The  members  of  this  Commission  were  among  the  invited  guests  of  the  Hudson- 
Fulton  Commission  and  witnessed  some  of  the  most  impressive  scenes  of  that 
memorable  celebration,  extending  in  time  from  September  25th  to  October  9th, 
1 909,  and  in  distance  along  the  entire  navigable  waters  of  the  Hudson  River. 
The  preparation  and  execution  of  the  elaborate  plans  of  that  celebration,  which 
was  participated  in  by  the  invited  guests  and  official  representatives  of  several 
States  and  many  nations,  were  under  the  supervision  of  General  Stewart  L.  Wood- 
ford, President;  Herman  Ridder,  First  Vice-President;  Isaac  N.  Sehgman, 
Treasurer,  and  Colonel  Henry  W.  Sackett,  Secretary,  constituting  the  executive 
officers  of  the  Hudson-Fulton  Commission,  ably  assisted,  however,  by  a  large  board 
of  trustees  and  several  hundred  members,  representing  various  organizations  and  all 
the  political  divisions  of  the  State.  The  historical  phases  and  wide  scope  of  that 
celebration  are  well  presented  in  the  Official  Report  of  the  Hudson-Fulton  Com- 
mission, which  was  prepared  by  Edward  Hagaman  Hall,  L.  H.  D.,  Assistant 
Secretary,  and  fills  two  large  volumes,  including  illustrations  of  many  subjects, 
exhibited  during  that  Tercentenary.  The  thorough  preparation  for,  the  orderly 
prosecution  and  successful  consummation  of  the  Champlain  and  Hudson-Fulton 
celebrations  in  close  succession,  involving  as  they  did  large  expenditures  of  money 
as  well  as  long-continued  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  respective  commissioners  in 
charge,  evince  a  deep  and  an  abiding  popular  interest  in  the  development  of  our 
civil  and  religious  institutions  and  in  the  crucial  events  which  have  contributed  to 
the  upbuilding  of  the  Empire  State  and  of  this  "  noble  and  puissant  "  nation. 


r-'  (f  V-:  F-i 


f 


■y 


;^, 


Z^"^,  - 


Design  for  Tercentenary   Memorial    to  Samuel  Champlain  at  Crown  Point 


Monumenl,  Crab  Island,   Lake  Champlain 


VIII.   THE  PROPOSED  CHAMPLAIN  MEMORIAL 

337 


23 


VIII.   THE  PROPOSED  CHAMPLAIN  MEMORIAL 

AT  THE  FIRST  MEETING  of  the  Commission,  August  13,  1908,  on 
motion  of  Senator  Hill,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  report  on 
the  advisability  of  soliciting  funds  for  a  monument  to  Samuel 
Champlain,  to  be  erected  at  some  point  in  the  Champlain  Valley.     That 
committee  consisted  of  Messrs.  John  B.  Riley,  John  H.  Booth,  Howland 
Pell,  Louis  C.  Lafontaine,  James  A.  Foley  and  James  J.  Frawley. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  Commission,  held  at  the  Hotel  Belmont, 
New  York  city,  September  30,  1908,  Mr.  Riley  offered  the  following 
resolution,  which  was  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  investigate  the  question  of 
the  location  and  cost  of  a  monument  to  Champlain  and  report  at  a  subsequent 
meeting  of  the  Commission  and  that  such  committee  confer  with  the  Vermont  Com- 
mission in  relation  to  such  monument. 

The  chairman  appointed  as  members  of  such  committee  Messrs.  Lafon- 
taine, Pell,  Frawley,  Riley  and  Shea. 

There  were  early  brought  before  this  committee  or  before  the  Com- 
mission as  a  whole,  claims  and  arguments  in  behalf  of  various  sites,  each 
urged  as  the  most  desirable  for  the  proposed  memorial.  To  no  phase  of 
its  work  has  the  Commission  given  more  careful  consideration  than  to  this, 
but  it  was  found  advisable  to  defer  action  in  regard  to  it  as  much  as  pos- 
sible until  after  the  celebration  had  been  accomplished. 

At  an  early  meeting.  Secretary  Hill  submitted  to  the  consideration  of 
the  Commission  a  careful  review  of  the  sites  in  the  valley,  which  he 
thought  ought  to  be  considered  in  connection  with  the  proposed  memorial. 
He  dwelt  upon  the  historic  associations  of  Crown  Point,  and  also  of 
Ticonderoga,  where,  he  said,  an  heroic  statue  of  Ethan  Allen  should  ulti- 
mately be  erected,  and  expressed  his  conviction  that  this  would  be  done 
"  though  perhaps  not  in  our  age  and  generation."  He  reviewed  the 
events  of  the  War  of  1812,  which  made  the  vicinity  of  Plattsburgh 

339 


340  State  of  New  York 

memorable,  and  suggested  that  Cumberland  Head  should  be  marked 
with  an  heroic  statue  of  Macdonough.  Eliminating  various  other  points 
of  minor  claims,  he  dwelt  upon  the  three  centuries  of  historic  events  cen- 
tering at  Isle  La  Motte  and  reached  the  conclusion  that  that  island  was 
the  logical  site  for  the  memorial  to  Champlain.  In  this  connection,  he 
called  attention  to  the  fact  that  such  a  memorial  might  be  erected  thereon 
on  property  already  owned  by  the  Federal  Government. 

At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  two  Commissions,  held  in  Burlington,  May 
3 1  st,  it  was  stated  that  the  Vermont  Commission  had  adopted  a  resolution 
favoring  the  selection  of  Isle  La  Motte.  The  representatives  of  no  less 
than  thirty  French  societies  had  written  to  endorse  the  selection  of  that 
island,  and  there  were  given  various  pledges  of  individual  contributions 
should  the  Champlain  memorial  be  placed  on  that  island.  Much  stress 
was  laid  on  the  special  interest  in  the  project  aroused  among  the  French 
population. 

While  the  claims  of  the  points  mentioned  were  under  consideration,  the 
advocates  of  other  places  were  by  no  means  inactive.  The  advantages 
of  Bluff  Point,  three  miles  south  of  Plattsburgh,  were  vigorously  urged 
upon  the  attention  of  the  Commission.  In  September,  1 909,  the  Commis- 
sion received  various  data  regarding  that  point.  From  Messrs  Dillon, 
McLellan  &  Beadel,  architects  of  New  York  city,  a  map  of  Bluff  Point 
was  received,  its  object  being  to  show  the  natural  advantages  of  the  place 
and  the  engineering  problems  in  placing  a  monument  there.  Two  sites 
at  Bluff  Point  were  considered.  The  abrupt  cliffs,  approximately  forty 
feet  high,  formed  a  good  base  on  which  to  rear  a  high  monument.  Of  the 
two  sites  designated  by  the  architects,  respectively  A  and  B,  they  thought 
that  B,  being  the  more  southern  of  the  two,  was  the  more  desirable.  TTie 
matter  of  docks,  approaches,  etc.,  was  carefully  set  out  in  regard  to  these 
sites.  The  distance  from  the  station  at  Bluff  Point  to  site  A  was  approxi- 
mately seven  thousand  feet,  of  which  four  thousand  feet  would  be  new 
road.  TTie  distance  from  the  station  to  site  B  was  about  twenty-four 
hundred  feet,  of  which  all  but  eight  hundred  feet  was  already  constructed. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  341 

The  natural  advantages  of  both  of  these  sites  were  dweh  upon  in  this 
report  of  the  architects. 

At  about  this  state  of  dehberations.  Chairman  Knapp  and  Commis- 
sioner Witherbee  called  at  the  Executive  Chamber  in  Albany  and  con- 
ferred regarding  the  proposed  memorial  with  Governor  Hughes.  The 
Governor  suggested  that  the  Commission  request  State  Architect  Frankhn 
B.  Ware  to  report  on  the  matter.  Mr.  Ware  ultimately  made  a  report 
on  the  Bluff  Point  site  and  also  on  Split  Rock  as  a  site.  He  also  reported 
on  means  for  securing  competition  in  preparing  plans  for  a  monument. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  September  3,  1909,  Commissioner  Pell  presented 
the  claims  of  Ticonderoga  as  the  site  for  the  proposed  memorial,  stating 
that  Mr.  David  Williams  of  that  place  offered  an  acre  of  land  on  Mt. 
Defiance,  to  be  considered  by  the  Commission  as  a  site  for  the  memorial. 
Commissioner  Riley  suggested  that  a  better  place  in  the  vicinity  of 
Ticonderoga  would  be  directly  east  of  the  old  fort  buildings,  on  the  point 
south  of  the  Pell  mansion. 

At  this  meeting  the  following  gentlemen  of  Ticonderoga  were  given  a 
hearing:  Messrs.  David  Williams,  D.  C.  Bascom,  J.  W.  Wren,  W.  G. 
Wiley,  Robert  Hanna.  I.  C.  Newton,  M.  V.  Drake,  Dr.  M.  H.  Turner, 
James  A.  Mullany.  Dr.  W.  A.  E.  Cummings,  L.  R.  Meads,  W.  C. 
Tift,  P.  J.  Finn,  F.  B.  Wickes,  M.  Y.  Ferris,  John  Gunning,  C.  A. 
Stevens  and  W.  W.  Richards. 

Several  of  these  gentlemen  addressed  the  Commission,  urging  the 
advantages  of  Mt.  Defiance  for  the  object  in  view.  Mr.  David  Williams 
stated  his  readiness  to  donate  an  acre  of  land  thereon  for  the  monument 
site  should  the  Commission  decide  to  select  it.  The  matters  of  accessi- 
bility, road  construction,  etc.,  were  discussed  at  length.  Special  attention 
was  called  to  the  fact  that  Mt.  Defiance  was  over  a  thousand  feet  hi^ 
and  that  a  memorial  on  its  summit  could  be  seen  not  only  from  very  many 
points  in  the  Champlain  Valley,  but  from  steamers  on  Lake  George  and 
from  other  distant  points.  Should  the  proposed  memorial  take  the  form 
of  a  lighthouse,  it  was  argued  that  its  light  could  be  seen  by  a  quarter  of 
the  population  of  the  State  of  Vermont.     The  discussion  further  brought 


342  State  of  New  York 

out  the  statement  that  in  the  summer  time  from  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand 
people  visited  Ticonderoga  daily  by  the  trains,  besides  the  people  who 
Ccime  by  steamboat,  and  that  six  or  seven  thousand  people  on  occasions 
frequently  came  down  through  Lake  George  to  Ticonderoga. 

The  Commissioners  thanked  the  advocates  of  this  site,  but  reserved 
decision. 

In  conference  later,  on  this  same  date,  various  other  sites  were  con- 
sidered, among  them  Split  Rock,  Crown  Point,  Juniper  Island,  Bluff 
Point  and  Isle  La  Motte.  After  an  informal  ballot  to  discover  the  prefer- 
ence of  the  Commission,  a  formal  vote  was  taken,  resulting  in  six  votes 
for  Bluff  Point  and  five  votes  for  Isle  La  Motte. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Hill,  seconded  by  Mr.  Witherbee,  the  vote  in  favor 
of  Bluff  Point  was  made  unanimous. 

A  motion  was  also  adopted  that  the  selection  of  a  site  by  the  Commis- 
sion be  made  contingent  upon  the  owners  of  such  a  site  donating  the  use 
of  such  amount  of  land  as  might  be  deemed  necessary  by  the  Conmiis- 
sion  with  the  right  of  ingress  and  egress  to  and  from  the  same  connecting 
with  a  public  highway  and  with  the  right  to  construct  and  use  a  dock  on 
the  water  front  thereof. 

At  a  meeting  on  September  27th,  1909,  Commissioner  Booth  moved 
"  that  the  Monument  Committee  be  authorized  to  do  what  in  its  judg- 
ment is  deemed  best  to  get  plans  as  to  monument,  with  power  to  make 
such  arrangements  as  it  considered  best  and  report  to  the  Commission  its 
conditions  thereon."  The  final  decision  of  the  committee  was  held  in 
abeyance  throughout  the  winter  of  1 909-1 0. 

At  a  meeting  in  Albany,  April  28,  1910,  the  matter  of  site  was  again 
thoroughly  discussed,  but  further  action  deferred  until  a  joint  conference 
could  be  held  with  the  Vermont  Commission. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Commission  held  at  Albany,  May  13,  1910,  Mr. 
Crockett  of  the  Vermont  Commission  was  received  and  given  a  hearing. 
He  stated  that  the  Vermont  Commission  had  taken  no  definite  action  as 
to  site;  a  meeting  had  been  held  at  which  several  sites  were  considered. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  343 

particularly  Rock  Dunder;  the  Vermont  Commission  was  to  meet  on  the 
following  day.  May  14,  at  Burlington. 

After  Mr.  Crockett  had  retired,  the  New  York  Commission,  on 
motion  of  Mr.  Witherbee,  voted  to  reconsider  the  action  of  September  3, 
1909,  whereby  Bluff  Point  had  been  selected.  The  secretary  was 
directed  to  notify  the  Vermont  Commission  of  this  action  and  to  invite 
them  to  unite  with  the  New  York  Commission  in  a  joint  conference  for 
further  consideration  of  the  matter. 

The  Vermont  Commission  on  learning  of  this  action  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Resolved,  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  New  York  Tercentenary  Commission 
has  reconsidered  its  action  locating  a  Champlain  Memorial  at  Bluff  Point,  New 
York,  and  has  expressed  its  willingness  to  unite  with  the  Vermont  Commission  in 
erecting  a  joint  memorial,  that  the  Vermont  Commission  hereby  votes  to  unite  with 
the  New  York  Commission  in  erecting  a  joint  memorial  at  Crown  Point,  N.  Y., 
provided  that  Commission  agrees  thereto. 

This  action  was  duly  communicated  to  the  New  York  Commission, 
which,  at  a  meeting  held  June  13,  1910,  adopted  the  following: 

Resolved,  That  the  New  York  Commission  appropriate  thirty-five  thousand 
dollars  toward  a  joint  memorial,  to  be  erected  at  Crown  Point. 

It  was  also  resolved  to  accept  the  offer  contained  in  the  resolution  of  the 
Vermont  Commission  as  above  given. 

On  the  decisive  vote  the  New  York  Commission  stands  recorded  as 
follows:  In  favor  of  Bluff  Point,  one;  Isle  La  Motte,  four;  Crown  Point, 
six.  The  Commission  also  went  on  record  as  favoring  the  erection  of  a 
separate  memorial  at  Bluff  Point. 

The  above  action  by  the  New  York  State  Commission  was  taken  with 
the  understanding  that  the  Vermont  Commission  was  to  contribute  the 
balance  of  the  money  necessary  for  the  erection  of  the  memorial.  The 
Committee  on  Memorial  of  the  New  York  Commission  was  discharged 
and  the  chairman  announced  as  a  new  committee  to  act  on  the  erection  of 
the  memorial  at  Crown  Point,  the  following:  Messrs.  Witherbee,  Pell 
and  Lafontaine. 


344  State  of  New  York 

He  also  announced  the  following  as  a  committee  to  act  upon  the 
separate  memorial,  to  be  erected  at  Bluff  Point  or  Plattsburgh:  Messrs. 
Riley,  Booth,  Foley  and  Weaver. 

Prior  to  the  action  above  recorded,  Messrs.  Witherbee,  Sherman  & 
Co.  of  Port  Henry,  owners  of  the  site  of  the  ancient  forts  at  Crown  Point, 
had  offered  to  give  said  site,  containing  the  ruins,  to  the  State  of  New 
York.  The  act  of  acceptance  by  the  State  became  a  law  April  22,  1910, 
and  is  as  follows : 

CHAPTER  151.  LAWS  OF  1910 

An  Act  to  Accept  a  Deed  of  Gift  and  an  Assignment  of  Lease  in 
Perpetuity,  From  the  Corporation  of  Witherbee,  Sherman  and 
Company  to  the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  of  Land  in 
the  Town  of  Crown  Point,  Essex  County,  New  York,  Embracing 
THE  Sites  of  Fort  Saint  Frederick  and  Fort  Amherst. 

Became   a   law   April  22,   1910,  with   the   approval    of   the   Governor.     Passed,  three-fifths  being 
present. 

The  People  of  the  Siala  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly, 
do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  I .  The  people  of  the  state  of  New  York  hereby  accept  title  to  the  lands 
mentioned  in  the  deed  of  gift  or  conveyance,  and  in  the  assignment  of  lease  in 
perpetuity,  now  in  possession  of  the  governor  of  this  state,  which  deed  and  assign- 
ment were  executed  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  March,  nineteen  hundred  and  ten,  by 
the  corporation  of  Witherbee,  Sherman  and  Company  to  the  people  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  describing  certain  lands  situated  in  the  town  of  Crown  Point,  Essex 
county,  in  this  state,  which  lands  are  more  fully  identified  and  described  in  said 
deed  and  assignment.  The  title  to  such  lands  is  accepted  upon  the  terms  and  con- 
ditions stated  in  said  deed  and  in  said  assignment  of  lease,  namely,  that  the  land 
therein  described  shall  be  forever  dedicated  to  the  purpose  of  a  public  park  or 
reservation,  the  people  of  the  state  of  New  York  agreeing  to  protect  the  fort  ruins 
on  said  land  from  spoliation  and  further  disintegration  to  the  end  that  they  may  be 
preserved  for  all  time,  so  far  as  may  be.  The  title  to  the  lands  conveyed  by  said 
deed  is  accepted,  subject  to  a  reservation  as  to  mines  and  minerals,  referred  to  in 
said  deed,  subject  to  outstanding  easements,  if  any,  in  public  highways  crossing  said 
premises,  as  the  same  are  now  laid  out  and  used,  and  subject  to  a  certain  lease  in 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  345 

writing  dated  April  twenty-fifth,  nineteen  hundred  and  two,  between  Witherbee, 
Sherman  and  Company,  lessor,  and  the  Port  Henry  Steam  Ferry  Company,  lessee, 
for  the  period  of  twenty  years  from  the  date  of  said  lease,  affecting  a  small  parcel 
of  land  on  the  lake  front,  together  with  a  right  of  way  from  a  certain  dock  on  the 
land  so  leased,  to  the  public  highway;  all  rents  under  said  lease  being  reserved  by 
said  deed  to  the  grantor  in  said  deed.  The  title  to  the  lands  described  in  the  lease 
in  perpetuity,  is  accepted  subject  to  the  covenants  and  reservations  contained  in  said 
lease. 

Section  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

Numerous  suggestions  reached  the  Commission,  as  to  the  form  the  pro- 
posed memorial  should  take.  Commissioner  Lafontaine  urged  the  pro- 
priety of  erecting  a  lighthouse  in  connection  with  a  heroic  statue  of  Cham- 
plain.  This  idea  came  to  him  through  reading  the  explorer's  own  account 
of  his  numerous  and  perilous  voyages  and  expeditions,  and  the  Commis- 
sioner felt  that  a  lighthouse  "  would  be  a  fitting  memorial  emblem  for  such 
an  intrepid  navigator,  while  its  light  would  symbolize  the  greater  light  of 
Christian  civilization  which  he  brought  into  the  beautiful  valley  that  bears 
his  great  name."  Commissioner  Lafontaine  was  the  first  to  bring  this 
form  of  memorial  to  the  consideration  of  the  New  York  and  Vermont 
Commissions;  both  of  which  received  it  with  favor.  The  first  meeting  of 
the  Committee  on  Crown  Point  Memorial  was  held  at  Mr.  Pell's  "  Block 
House,"  Fort  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y..  October  4,  1910.  There  were  present 
Commissioners  Witherbee,  Lafontaine  and  Pell.  It  was  decided  to 
recommend  to  the  Vermont  Committee  that  the  competition  for  the 
memorial  be  limited  to  three  competing  architects,  viz.:  Mr.  McLellan 
and  Mr.  Bossom  of  New  York  and  Mr.  Austin  of  Vermont,  and  that 
the  competition  be  placed  in  charge  of  Professor  A.  D.  F.  Hamlin,  of 
Columbia  University. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Vermont  Committee  held  on  the  steamboat  l^er- 
mont  the  same  date,  the  above  resolution  was  approved. 

A  joint  meeting  of  the  Committee  of  New  York  and  Vermont  Com- 
missions was  held  in  Havemeyer  Hall,  Columbia  University,  January 
28,  191  I.  Present  —  Commissioners  Pell  and  Lafontaine  of  New 
York;  President  Thomas,  Messrs.  Crockett,  Jarvis  and  Hays  of  Ver- 


346  State  of  New  York 

mont.     President  Thomas  was  chosen  chairman  and  Mr.  Hays  acted  as 
secretary. 

Three  designs  were  submitted  by  the  architects  and  considered.  The 
joint  committee  finally  unanimously  selected  the  design  prepared  by  Hugh 
McLellan  of  the  firm  of  Dillon,  McLellan  and  Beadel,  architects  of 
New  York  city,  which  is  in  the  form  of  a  lighthouse  and  described  by 
them  as  follows: 

Description  of  the  Design  for  the  Champlain  Tercentenary 
Memorial  Light-House  at  Crown  Point,  N.  Y. 

(By  the  Architects) 

The  problem  presented  was  that  of  designing  a  monumental  light-house  large 
enough  in  mass  to  be  imposing,  and  of  bold  outline,  distinguishable,  when  seen  from 
a  distance,  from  the  ordinary  light-house,  without  changing  the  height  (50  feet 
from  the  ground  to  lantern  platform)  of  the  present  structure;  sufficiently  rugged 
in  character  for  the  landscape  at  Crown  Point,  without  being  crude  or  lacking  in 
distinction. 

The  ruins  of  the  French  and  English  forts  in  the  neighborhood  might  suggest 
that  the  monument  should  have  a  military  character,  but  the  forts  are  too  far  away 
to  make  it  necessary  for  the  monument  to  conform  to  them  in  style,  and,  as  they 
were  built  long  after  Champlain's  time  (Fort  Frederic  in  1731  and  Fort  Amherst 
in  1759),  there  is  no  other  reason  for  doing  so;  especially  as  a  military  memorial 
would  not  be  appropriate  to  Champlain's  character  and  to  the  achievements  on  which 
his  fame  rests.  Champlain  was  essentially  a  navigator  and  an  explorer;  zealous 
in  the  service  of  the  King  of  France  and  of  his  religion,  his  chief  desire  being  the 
colonization  of  the  country  and  the  establishment  of  the  Christian  religion  among 
the  Indians.  In  fact,  his  battle  with  the  Iroquois  led  to  their  alliance  with  the 
British  against  the  French  and  aided  greatly  in  the  ultimate  loss  of  Canada  to  the 
French. 

The  best  solution  of  the  problem  seemed  to  lie  in  adopting  as  a  basis  the  style 
of  architecture  prevailing  in  France  at  the  time  of  Champlain,  as  employed  in  parts 
of  Fontainebleau  and  other  royal  hunting  lodges,  situated  in  comparatively  wild 
places,  using  a  robust  order  and  bold,  restrained  ornament,  forming  a  monumental 
decoration  enclosing  the  stair  shaft. 

The  free  standing  columns  surrounding  the  central  shaft  give  width  of  outline 
without  the  heavy  effect  of  a  solid  mass  of  the  same  diameter,  and  provide  proper 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  347 


space  for  stairs.  The  vertical  lines  of  light  and  shade  increase  the  apparent  height 
of  the  tower,  and  render  its  special  monumental  character  unmistakable  at  a  dis- 
tance. The  granite  columns  and  the  bronze  statue  of  Champlain  are  raised  on  a 
massive  granite  base  so  that  they  will  be  seen  above  the  trees.  The  lantern  and 
lantern  platform  are  in  accordance  with  the  regulations  of  the  light-house  board, 
but  a  visitors'  gallery,  separate  from  the  lantern  platform,  gives,  with  the  cornice 
and  parapet,  a  distinctive  outline  to  the  whole  top.  The  ornament  is  restrained, 
the  garlands  of  the  frieze  binding  the  top  together  while  the  pendants  and  balls 
carry  up  the  vertical  line  of  the  columns  and  give  a  greater  effect  of  height. 

The  monument  has  been  faced  towards  the  east,  for  in  that  direction  the  slope 
of  the  land  is  steepest,  the  water  and  the  line  of  water  travel  are  nearest,  and  two 
knolls  frame  in  the  approach  from  the  water.  This  steepness  and  shortness  of 
approach  give  a  maximum  effect  of  height,  and  a  greater  monumental  appearance 
than  from  any  other  direction.  In  this  position  the  statue  will  cut  out  well  against 
the  sky  when  seen  from  up  and  down  the  lake,  while  it  composes  well  with  the 
monument  when  seen  from  the  front,  where  the  point  of  view  is  nearest. 

The  statue  of  Champlain  is  flanked  by  seated  figures  of  an  Indian  and  of  a 
vo^ageur  or  coureur-de-hois.  Under  it,  in  stone,  is  a  conventionalized  canoe-prow, 
laden  with  typical  products  of  the  region  —  the  whole  group  being  emblematical 
of  the  condition  that  prevailed  there  in  Champlain's  time.  Below  this  is  a  bronze 
tablet  bearing  appropriate  inscriptions  and  the  names  of  the  commissioners.  Shields 
about  the  base  bear  the  arms  of  Champlain,  France,  the  United  States,  New  York, 
Vermont,  etc. 

As  especial  emphasis  should  be  laid  upon  the  fact  that  the  monument  is  erected 
jointly  by  the  states  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  pyramidal  memorials  have  been 
placed  at  either  side.     These  bear  the  arms  of  the  states  and  tablets  and  inscriptions. 

A  small  museum  for  historic  relics,  which  would  also  serve  as  a  reception  room 
for  visitors,  and  would  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  monument,  could  be  estab- 
lished in  connection  with  the  keeper's  house. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Commission  held  at  Albany,  February  8,  1911, 
Commissioner  Pell  reported  that  Congressman  Foster  had  introduced  a 
bill  in  the  House  of  Representatives  authorizing  the  Lake  Champlain 
Tercentenary  Commissions  of  New  York  and  Vermont  to  erect  a 
memorial  to  commemorate  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain  upon 
Crown  Point  Light-House  Reservation,  New  York,  and  that  such  bill 
passed  the  House  of  Representatives  on  February  7,  1911,  and  there- 


348  State  of  New  York 

after  the  Senate,  and  was  approved  by  the  President.     Commissioner 
Pell  submitted  a  copy  of  such  bill  as  follows: 

A  Bill  to  Authorize  the  Erection  Upon  the  Crown  Point  Light- 
house Reservation,  New  York,  of  a  Memorial  to  Commemorate 
the  Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain. 

Be  it  enacied  bv  the  Senate  and  House  of  Represenlalives  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled.  That  the  commissions  which  were 
appointed  by  the  States  of  Vermont  and  New  York  to  have  charge  of  the  recent 
celebration  commemorating  the  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake 
Champlain  by  Samuel  de  Champlain,  and  which  have  been  authorized  by  said 
Slates  to  build  a  suitable  memorial  commemorating  said  discovery,  are  hereby  granted 
permission  to  erect  such  memorial  upon  the  Crown  Point  Lighthouse  Reservation, 
New  York:  Provided,  That  before  any  actual  work  of  construction  shall  be 
begun  upon  the  structure  the  plans  and  specifications  therefor,  both  preliminary  and 
detailed,  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  for  his 
approval,  and  after  they  have  been  approved  by  him  they  shall  not  be  deviated 
from  without  his  prior  approval. 

Sec.  2.  That  upon  the  completion  of  the  structure  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions  of  this  Act  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  is  hereby  authorized 
and  directed  to  accept  the  same,  free  of  expense,  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  United 
States. 

Sec.  3.  That  upon  the  acceptance  of  the  structure  by  the  United  States  the 
same  shall  be  maintained  as  an  aid  to  navigation  at  the  expense  of  the  appropriations 
for  maintenance  of  the  Lighthouse  Service. 

Thereupon,  the  action  of  the  committee  in  selecting  the  Hugh  Mc- 
Lellan  design  for  the  Crown  Point  memorial  was  approved,  and  that 
committee  was  authorized  to  enter  into  joint  contract  with  the  Vermont 
Commission  for  its  erection  at  an  expense  to  the  New  York  Commission 
not  exceeding  $35,000,  it  being  understood  that  the  Vermont  Commis- 
sion was  to  contribute  $15,000  towards  the  cost  thereof,  which  is  not  to 
exceed,  altogether,  including  architect's  fees,  the  sum  of  $50,000. 

The  committee  on  the  Champlain  memorial  to  be  erected  in  the 
vicinity  of  Plattsburgh  was  authorized  to  enter  into  a  contract  for  such 
memorial  at  a  total  cost  not  to  exceed  $1  5,000.    TTiis  committee  did  not 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  349 

make  any  formal  report  but  its  members  individually  expressed  their 
preferences  for  a  heroic  size  bronze  statue  of  Champlain,  mounted  on  a 
suitable  pedestal,  which  might  possibly  be  a  replica  of  the  Champlain 
memorial  at  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  or  some  other  of  the  Champlain 
memorials  in  America.  This  matter  was  under  consideration  when  this 
volume  went  to  press. 

In  order  that  such  memorials  might  be  erected  under  the  supervision 
of  this  Commission,  it  became  necessary  that  its  life  be  extended,  as  was 
done  by  Chapter  181  of  the  Laws  of  191  I,  approved  on  May  22,  which 
reads  as  follows: 

CHAPTER  181,  LAWS  OF  1911 

An  Act  to  Amend  Chapter  One  Hundred  and  Forty-nine  of  the 
Laws  of  Nineteen  Hundred  and  Eight,  Entitled  "An  Act  to 
Provide  for  the  Celebration  of  the  Tercentenary  of  the 
Discovery  of  L\ke  Champlain,  the  Appointment  of  a  Commis- 
sion, Prescribing  Its  Powers  and  Duties  and  Making  an  Appro- 
priation Therefor,"  as  Amended  by  Chapter  Forty-four  of  the 
Laws  of  Nineteen  Hundred  and  Ten,  Relative  to  the  Powers 
and  Duties  of  Said  Commission  and  Extending  the  Time  for 
Making  Its  Report  to  the  Legislature  and  Reappropriating 
the  Unexpended  Balance  of  the  Appropriation  Made  by 
Chapter  Four  Hundred  and  Thirty-three  of  the  Laws  of 
Nineteen  Hundred  and  Nine. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  Neiv  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly;,  do 
enact  as  follolDs: 

Section.  I.  Section  four  of  chapter  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  of  the  laws  of 
nineteen  hundred  and  eight,  entitled  "An  act  to  provide  for  the  celebration  of  the 
tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  appointment  of  a  commission, 
prescribing  its  powers  and  duties  and  making  an  appropriation  therefor,"  as 
amended  by  chapter  forty-four  of  the  laws  of  nineteen  hundred  and  ten,  is  hereby 
further  amended  to  read  as  follows: 

Sec.  4.  Moneys  appropriated  for  the  commission  shall  be  paid  by  the  treas- 
urer on  the  warrant  of  the  comptroller,  issued  upon  a  requisition  signed  by  the 
president  and  secretary  of  the  commission,  accompanied  by  an  estimate  of  the 
expense  for  the  payment  of  which  the  money  so  drawn  is  to  be  applied,  and  vouchers 


350  State  of  New  York 


for  such  expenditures  shall  be  filed  with  the  comptroller,  who  shall  audit  the  same. 
Any  unexpended  balance  of  such  appropriation,  after  payment  of  the  expenses  of 
said  commission,  and  any  moneys  derived  from  the  sale  of  any  property  held  by 
such  commission,  as  well  as  all  funds  paid  into  its  treasury  by  public  or  private 
contributions  for  the  erection  of  a  permanent  memorial  to  Samuel  Champlain  in  the 
valley  of  Lake  Champlain,  shall  be  aggregated  and  kept  as  a  special  fund  to  be 
known  as  the  Samuel  Champlain  memorial  fund,  to  be  used  by  said  commission 
acting  independently  or  in  co-operation  with  the  state  of  Vermont,  the  government 
of  the  United  States,  the  dominion  of  Canada,  the  province  of  Quebec,  and 
various  patriotic  societies,  or  any  or  either  of  them,  in  the  erection  of  two  suitable 
permanent  memorials  to  Samuel  Champlain  at  CrowTi  Point  and  at  Plattsburgh  in 
the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain.  The  commission  shall  keep  an  accurate  record  of 
all  its  proceedings  and  transactions,  and  shall  submit  to  the  legislature  of  nineteen 
hundred  and  twelve  a  full  and  complete  report  thereof.  Within  thirty  days  there- 
after the  commission  shall  make  a  verified  report  to  the  comptroller  of  the  disburse- 
ments made  by  it.  It  shall  have  no  power  or  authority  to  contract  for  the  expend- 
iture of  any  sum  in  excess  of  the  amount  heretofore  appropriated,  except  such  funds 
as  have  actually  been  paid  into  its  treasury  by  public  or  private  contribution  for 
the  erection  of  a  memorial  as  herein  provided,  and  it  shall  keep  an  accurate  account 
of  the  receipts  and  disbursements  of  such  contributions,  if  any,  and  include  the  same 
in  its  report  to  the  legislature. 

Sec.  2.  The  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  thirty-three  and 
seventy-two  one  hundredths  dollars  ($25,833.72),  the  unexpended  balance  of  the 
appropriation  for  the  Lake  Champlain  tercentenary  commission  made  by  chapter 
four  hundred  and  thirty-three  of  the  laws  of  nineteen  hundred  and  nine  is  hereby 
reappropriated  for  the  purposes  mentioned  in  chapter  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
of  the  laws  of  nineteen  hundred  and  eight,  as  amended  by  chapter  forty-four  of  the 
laws  of  nineteen  hundred  and  ten,  and  as  further  amended  by  this  act. 

Sec.  3.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Commission  on  July  7,  1 9 1 1 ,  the  minimum  con- 
tribution to  be  accepted  from  the  Vermont  Commission  was  reduced  from 
$15,000  to  $13,000,  towards  the  Crown  Point  Memorial. 

The  Committee  on  the  Memorial  to  be  erected  in  the  vicinity  of  Platts- 
burgh was  authorized  to  increase  the  expenditure  therefor  from  $15,000 
to  $17,000. 


Appendix 


351 


u 


^hoenix,"  built  at  Vergennes,  Vt.,  in    1815.      She  was   146  feet  long,  27  feet  wide  and 
had  a  speed  of  8  miles  per  hour 


"Conquest,"  built  at  Vergennes,  Vl..  in    1818.       She  was    108  feet  long  and  27  feet  wide 


'General   Greene,"    built   at    Shellburne   Harbor,  Vt„  in    1825.       She    was    75    feet  long 

and  22  feet  wide 


•Franklin,"  built  at  St.  Albans  Bay  in  1827.  She  operated  between  Whitehall  and  St.  John 
and  was  commanded  by  Johaziel  Sherman,  great-grandfather  of  Vice-President  Jame 
S.  Sherman 


H 


•^ 


SAMUEL  CHAMPLAIN  AND  THE   LAKE  CHAM- 
PLAIN  TERCENTENARY 

353 


24 


SAMUEL  CHAM  PLAIN  AND  THE   LAKE  CHAM- 
PLAIN  TERCENTENARY 

By  Senator  Henrv  W.  Hill,  Secretary  of  the  New  Yor^  La}(e  Champlair)  Tercentenary  Com- 

miision,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

(An  address  delivered  before  the  Vermont  Historical  Society  on  November  1 0th,  1908,  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  Montpelier,  Vermont.) 

Mr.  President,  Members  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Soct'e/i;,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men: The  discovery  of  America  awakened  deep  interest  in  European  nations, 
and  was  followed  in  the  sixteenth  century  by  several  trans-Atlantic  voyages  by 
Spanish,  Portuguese,  English  and  Dutch  navigators.  French  colonization  was 
early  directed  toward  Canada,  and  in  1535  Jacques  Cartier  took  possession  of  the 
northeasterly  part  of  North  America  under  the  name  of  New  France.  One  of  the 
first  colonies  under  M.  de  Roberval,  suffered  from  the  cold,  damp  climate,  famine 
and  disease,  and  was  abandoned.  Civil  and  religious  discord  obtained  in  the 
mother  country,  and  not  until  Henry  of  Navarre  became  Henry  IV,  and  a  reign 
of  peace  ensued  after  a  century  of  storm,  did  the  French  seriously  turn  their  atten- 
tion to  the  colonization  of  Canada. 

About  the  year  1567,  in  the  small  seaport  town  of  Brouage  in  the  ancient 
province  of  Saintonge  in  Western  France,  a  few  miles  from  Rochelle,  the  strong- 
hold of  the  Huguenots,  was  born  Samuel  Champlain,  whose  father  Antoine  Cham- 
plain,  was  a  sea  captain.  Shortly  after  his  birth  the  town  was  fortified  under  the 
supervision  of  distinguished  Italian  engineers,  with  bastions  and  projecting  angles 
surrounded  by  a  moat  and  other  devices  of  military  architecture,  with  which  young 
Champlain  became  familiar. 

The  little  town  was  several  times  besieged  and  taken  by  the  Huguenots,  and 
retaken  and  garrisoned  and  commanded  by  distinguished  officers  of  the  French 
army. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Brouage  was  the  shifting  scene  of  war  and  peace 
it  was  the  center  of  an  extensive  salt  industry,  manufactured  from  sea  water  let  into 
basins  through  sluices,  and  evaporated  by  the  sun  and  wind,  and  a  port  frequented 
by  the  vessels  of  the  merchant  marine  of  several  countries,  between  which  and  this 
port  was  maintained  an  active  commerce.  Champlain,  in  his  earlier  years,  was 
thus  made  acquainted  with  military  fortifications  and  engagements,  as  well  as  with 

355 


356  State  of  New  York 


practical  navigation,  of  which  he  says:  "  This  is  the  art  which  in  my  earlier  years 
won  ray  love,  and  has  induced  me  to  expose  myself  almost  all  my  life  to  the 
impetuous  waves  of  the  ocean,"  as  stated  by  Edmund  F.  Slafter  in  his  Memoir  of 
Samuel  Champlain. 

His  practical  knowledge  of  navigation  was  such  that  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
he  was  placed  in  command  of  a  French  ship,  chartered  by  the  Spanish  government, 
for  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies.  On  this  voyage  he  visited  not  only  Cuba  and 
the  neighboring  islands,  but  sailed  to  Panama,  across  which  Isthmus  a  canal  had 
theretofore  been  suggested,  and  visited  Mexico,  at  whose  capital  he  spent  some  time 
in  studying  Mexican  institutions  and  the  character  of  the  people.  Edwin  A.  Dix, 
in  his  Life  of  Champlain,  in  speaking  of  the  visit  of  Champlain  to  the  city  of 
Mexico,  says:  "  He  is  enthusiastic  over  the  beauty  of  the  country;  admires  the 
forests  with  their  rare  woods,  the  birds  of  bright  plumage,  the  spreading  plains  with 
herds  of  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  the  fertile  agricultural  lands,  and  the  fine  climate. 
Champlain  himself  in  speaking  of  this  condition,  says:  '  But  all  the  contentment 
I  had  felt  at  the  sight  of  things  so  agreeable  was  but  little  in  regard  to  that  which 
I  experienced  when  I  beheld  the  beautiful  city  of  Mexico,  which  I  did  not  suppose 
had  such  superb  buildings,  wnth  splendid  temples,  palaces  and  fine  houses;  and  the 
streets  well  laid  out.  where  are  seen  the  large  and  handsome  shops  of  the  merchants, 
full  of  all  sorts  of  very  rich  merchandise.*  "  On  his  return  he  visited  the  fine  harbor 
of  Havana  and  refers  to  the  Morro  Fortress,  then  in  existence  and  capable  of  being 
garrisoned.  He  returned  to  Spain  after  an  absence  of  two  years  and  two  months, 
with  his  vessels  laden  with  the  rich  products  of  the  New  World.  On  his  return 
to  France  in  1601,  he  rendered  a  full  report  of  his  voyage  to  the  King,  and  gave  a 
description  of  the  methods  of  the  Spaniards  in  colonizing  the  New  World.  He 
won  the  liking  of  the  King,  and  a  small  income  was  settled  upon  him,  which  enabled 
him  to  live  at  court;  but  he  was  unwilling  to  live  the  life  of  a  royal  courtier.  On 
March  15,  1603,  he  accompanied  the  expedition  which  sailed  from  Honfleur, 
which  consisted  of  two  barks,  of  twelve  or  fifteen  tons  each,  one  under  command 
of  Pontgrave  and  the  other  under  command  of  Sieur  Prevert.  After  a  tempestuous 
voyage  of  seventy-five  days  they  reached  the  banks  of  New  Foundland.  coasted 
along  the  island  of  Cape  Breton,  entered  the  gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  anchored 
in  the  harbor  of  Tadoussac,  where  an  active  fur  trade  was  in  progress  with  the 
Indians.  After  exploring  the  country  around  about  Saguenay  they  proceeded  in 
a  small  vessel  by  the  site  of  Quebec,  the  Three  Rivers,  Lake  St.  Peter,  Richelieu, 
then  known  as  the  Iroquois,  and  after  passing  the  site  of  Montreal  cast  anchor  at 
the  Falls  of  St.  Louis.  On  this  voyage  Champlain  was  enabled  to  confer  with 
the  Indians  as  to  the  topography  of  the  country,  the  extent  and  courses  of  its  rivers, 
and  was  informed  by  them  of  the  large  lakes  and  Niagara  Falls  to  the  southwest. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  357 


This  was  the  first  information  obtained  by  the  whites  of  the  existence  of  the  great 
cataract,  if  such  information  were  in  fact  given  him. 

On  their  return  they  took  with  them  several  Indians,  and  reached  Havre  de 
Grace  on  the  20th  of  September,  1 603,  after  an  absence  of  six  months  and  six 
days.  Champlain  immediately  repaired  to  the  court  of  Henry  IV,  and  reported 
at  length  upon  the  discoveries  he  had  made  in  the  New  World,  and  presented  a 
map  of  the  regions  he  had  visited,  drawn  by  his  ovm  hand.  He  also  gave  a 
description  of  the  fauna  and  flora  and  the  inhabitants.  The  King  was  deeply 
interested  in  Champlain's  narrative,  and  offered  to  bestow  upon  him  his  favor  and 
patronage.  Year  after  year  Champlain  made  voyages  to  New  France,  and  searched 
out  new  ports,  and  coasted  along  the  Atlantic  from  Cape  Cod  to  the  mouth  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  river.  From  1604  to  1607  he  explored  the  entire  coast  of  New 
England,  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  sailed  into  Plymouth  harbor  sixteen 
years  before  the  Mayflower,  but  did  not  attempt  to  plant  a  colony  there.  In  his 
voyages  he  described  the  rivers  and  bays  communicating  with  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
and  the  islands  that  fringe  its  shores.  It  would  be  interesting  to  recount  his 
experiences  with  the  savages  along  the  New  England  coast,  the  hardships  which 
his  little  company  endured  during  the  cold  winter  months,  exposed  as  they  were  to 
the  proverbial  northeasterly  storms  of  the  Atlantic,  and  poorly  and  but  partially 
sheltered,  without  adequate  food,  and  with  maladies  of  various  sorts,  which  swept 
away  their  numbers.  However,  time  will  not  permit  this  to  be  done.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  that  he  left  a  full  and  detailed  description  of  the  New  England  coast,  with 
maps  and  drawings  by  his  own  hand,  far  superior  to  anything  that  had  been  left 
by  the  navigators  who  had  preceded  him  along  the  New  England  coast.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  imagine  the  pleasure  afforded  Champlain,  who  had  a  profound  love  for 
such  explorations  and  adventures  as  he  had  made  from  Plymouth  to  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence.  On  his  return  to  France  he  took  early  opportunity  to  report  the 
results  of  his  explorations  to  the  King,  and  present  maps  and  drawings  of  the  bays 
and  harbors  of  the  coasts  which  he  had  visited. 

On  April  1 3,  1 608,  Champlain  who  had  been  appointed  lieutenant  of  an 
expedition  undertaken  by  De  Monts,  left  Honfleur  and  arrived  at  Tadoussac  on 
June  3d.  He  explored  the  mouth  of  the  Saguenay.  sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence 
river  to  where  a  towering  cliff  narrows  the  great  stream,  and  founded  the  first  French 
colony  in  Canada.  He  gave  it  the  native  Algonquin  name,  Quebec,  which  means 
"  narrowing  of  the  stream." 

The  colony  was  small  and  precarious,  but  formed  a  base  of  operations  from 
which  many  expeditions  went  forth  in  quest  of  objects  most  dear  to  Champlain's 
heart.     His  two  great  desires  were  the  discovery  of  a  highway  to  the  Indies,  and 


358  State  of  New  York 


especially  in  his  later  years,  the  conversion  of  the  American  aborigines  to  Christianity. 
It  is  this  phase  of  his  character,  no  doubt,  which  so  enshrined  him  in  the  regard  of 
the  church,  whose  doctrines  he  sought  to  spread. 

The  recent  Tercentenary  Celebration  of  the  Founding  of  Quebec  is  fresh  in  the 
minds  of  the  American  people;  and  those  who  witnessed  the  elaborate  pageants 
presented  there  under  the  supervision  of  Frank  Lascelles,  will  not  soon  forget  the 
realistic  representation  of  the  thrilling  events  that  occurred  300  years  ago  along 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  in  the  circumjacent  territory,  explored  by  Samuel  Champlain 
and  his  colonists. 

"  After  long  and  painful  explorations  on  the  waters  and  among  the  Indian  tribes, 
and  after  frequent  voyages  to  France  in  the  service  of  the  colony,"  he  became 
Governor  of  Quebec  in  1  608.  He  was  more  of  an  explorer  and  navigator  than  a 
trader  or  colonizer,  and  accordingly  his  reputation  has  escaped  the  taint  so  common 
in  the  annals  of  New  France,  of  illicit  trade  and  fraudulent  dealings,  alike  with 
the  Indians  and  with  the  government.  The  profits  of  trade  were  simply  a  means 
to  an  end,  and  of  little  value  otherwise.  The  fall  of  1 608  was  occupied  by 
Champlain  and  his  followers  in  erecting  buildings  and  making  preparations  for  the 
approach  of  winter.  Forest  trees  were  felled  and  hewed  into  shape  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  walls  and  floors  of  buildings  to  accommodate  the  little  band  of 
colonists.  During  the  fall  there  were  twenty-eight  men  in  the  colony,  but  in  the 
early  winter  disease  made  its  appearance,  which  worked  fearful  havoc  with  them, 
and  twenty  of  them  were  carried  to  their  graves.  The  savages  were  hardly  less 
free  from  famine  and  disease,  and  they  gathered  around  the  settlement  in  great 
numbers,  in  a  condition  of  almost  abject  starvation.  It  was  impossible  for  Cham- 
plain to  supply  them  from  his  limited  stores.  The  conditions  were  deplorable,  and 
weighed  heavily  on  Champlain's  heart,  and  his  sympathies  ran  out  to  the  savages, 
as  well  as  to  his  ovm  colonists,  in  their  desperate  and  starving  condition. 

During  the  fall  or  early  winter  in  one  of  his  excursions  up  the  St.  Charles  river 
he  came  upon  a  "  crumbling  stone  chimney  and  other  indications  of  a  habitation, 
where  Jacques  Cartier  and  companions  had  passed  the  ill-fated  winter  of  1535, 
nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century  earlier."  Was  this  ominous  of  what  was  to 
befall  the  colony  at  Quebec?  Champlain,  however,  did  not  despair,  but  gave  the 
sick  and  dying  such  shelter  and  attention  as  were  possible  for  him  with  his  limited 
supplies  and  depleted  numbers.  The  coming  of  spring,  however,  revived  the  spirits 
of  the  eight  survivors  of  the  colony,  and  preparations  were  made  for  a  tour  of 
exploration  during  the  approaching  summer. 

Champlain  had  already  learned  from  the  savages  that  there  was  a  lake  of  many 
fair  islands,  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  productive  country,  lying  far  to  the  south- 
west, which  he  desired  to  visit.      He  also  learned  that  beyond  the  lake  was  the 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  359 

home  of  the  Iroquois  and  the  Mohawks,  the  enemies  and  foes  of  the  Algonquin 
and  Huron  Indian  nations.  The  latter  nations  proposed  an  expedition  against  the 
Iroquois,  and  that  Champlain  should  accompany  them.  The  colony  was  left  in 
possession  of  Pontgrave  who  had  just  arrived  from  France.  Champlain  left 
Quebec  on  a  tour  of  exploration  on  the  1 8th  of  June,  1609,  with  eleven  men, 
together  with  a  party  of  Montagnais.  They  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  and  came 
upon  an  encampment  of  two  or  three  hundred  Hurons  and  Algonquins,  whose 
abode  was  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Huron  and  the  waters  of  the  Ottawa.  These 
desired  to  go  to  Quebec  and  inspect  the  fortifications  there,  of  which  they  had  been 
informed,  before  going  to  war,  and  Champlain  acceded  to  their  request;  and  after 
they  had  spent  two  or  three  days  in  examining  the  fortifications  and  in  feasting  and 
festivity,  they  again  turned  about  and  proceeded  up  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Richelieu 
rivers.  In  addition  to  Champlain  and  his  two  companions,  there  were  sixty  Indian 
warriors,  and  they  were  conveyed  in  twenty- four  canoes.  They  proceeded  up  the 
Richelieu  river,  overcame  the  falls  and  rapids  by  transporting  their  canoes  by  land, 
and  again  entered  the  river  above  St.  Johns,  and  proceeded  toward  the  lake  which 
now  bears  his  name. 

It  was  now  in  the  month  of  July,  1609,  when  the  Richelieu  and  the  lake  were 
in  their  most  attractive  vesture.  Primeval  forests  wnth  all  the  variety  of  temperate 
foliage  covered  the  sloping  banks  and  distant  hillsides,  and  the  balmy  summer  air 
was  vocal  with  the  songs  of  birds,  whose  plumage  rivaled  in  beauty  the  native 
flowers  of  the  valleys.  The  waters  of  the  river  and  lake  were  teeming  with  many 
strange  fishes  unknown  in  salt  water,  and  wild  animals  roamed  over  the  beautiful 
islands,  unmolested  and  undisturbed. 

Samuel  Champlain  was  possibly  42  years  of  age  and  had  seen  something  of  the 
life  of  the  courts  of  Europe  and  much  of  the  life  of  the  savages  in  America.  He 
was  a  zealot  in  the  faith  and  still  had  served  under  Henry  of  Navarre  before  he 
came  to  the  throne.  He  had  traveled  extensively,  visited  many  lands,  made  several 
voyages  across  the  Atlantic  in  shallops  so  small  that  they  would  hardly  be  con- 
sidered safe  by  sailors  of  to-day  in  storms  on  Lake  Champlain,  and  he  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  as  a  sailor,  navigator  and  colonizer.  He  was  far  from  his 
native  France  and  traveling  with  savages  in  terra  incognita  where  the  foot  of  the 
white  man  had  never  trod  before. 

The  exhilaration  of  the  explorer  increased,  as  he  proceeded  southward  up  the 
Richelieu  into  the  lake  that  bears  his  name.  He  tells  his  own  story,  admirably 
translated  by  A.  A.  Bourne,  in  his  voyages  and  explorations  as  follows: 

"  I  felt  these  rapids  of  the  Iroquois  river  on  July  2  (this  date  may  have  been 
July  12),  1609. 


360  State  of  New  York 


"  All  the  savages  began  to  carry  their  canoes,  arms  and  baggage  by  land  about 
half  a  league,  in  order  to  get  by  the  swiftness  and  force  of  the  rapids.  This  was 
quickly  accomplished.  Then  they  put  them  all  in  the  water,  and  two  men  in  each 
boat,  with  their  baggage;  and  they  made  one  of  the  men  from  each  canoe  go  by 
land  about  a  league  and  a  half,  the  length  of  the  rapid.  *  *  *  After  we  had 
passed  the  rapid,  all  the  savages,  *  *  *  re-embarked  in  their  canoes.  *  *  * 
They  had  twenty-four  canoes  with  sixty  men  in  them." 

After  describing  the  life  of  the  aborigines  in  this  vicinity,  Champlain  continues: 
"  We  left  the  next  day,  continuing  our  course  in  the  river  as  far  as  the  entrance  to 
the  lake.  In  this  there  are  many  pretty  islands,  which  are  low,  covered  with  very 
beautiful  woods  and  meadows,  where  there  is  a  quantity  of  game,  and  animals  for 
hunting,  such  as  stags,  fallow-deer,  fawns,  roebucks,  bears  and  other  animals  which 
come  from  the  mainland  to  these  islands.  We  caught  a  great  many  of  them.  There 
are  also  many  beavers,  not  only  in  the  river,  but  in  many  other  little  ones  which 
empty  into  it.  These  places,  although  they  are  pleasant,  are  not  inhabited  by  any 
savages,  on  account  of  their  wars.  They  withdrew  as  far  as  possible  from  the 
river  into  the  interior,  in  order  not  to  be  suddenly  surprised. 

"  The  next  day  we  entered  the  lake,  which  is  of  great  extent,  perhaps  50  or  60 
leagues  long.  There  I  saw  four  beautiful  islands  10,  12  and  1 5  leagues  long, 
which  formerly  had  been  inhabited  by  savages,  like  the  River  of  the  Iroquois;  but 
they  had  been  abandoned  since  they  had  been  at  war  with  one  another.  There 
are  also  several  rivers  which  flow  into  the  lake  that  are  bordered  by  many  fine 
trees,  of  the  same  sorts  that  we  have  in  France,  with  a  quantity  of  vines  more 
beautiful  than  any  I  had  seen  in  any  other  place;  many  chestnut  trees,  and  I  have 
not  seen  any  at  all  before,  except  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  where  there  is  a  great 
abundance  of  fish  of  a  good  many  varieties."      *     *     * 

"  Continuing  our  course  in  this  lake  on  the  west  side  I  saw,  as  I  was  observing 
the  country,  some  very  high  mountains  on  the  east  side,  with  snow  on  the  top  of 
them.  I  inquired  of  the  savages  if  these  places  were  inhabited.  They  told  me 
that  they  were  —  by  the  Iroquois  —  and  that  in  these  places  there  were  beautiful 
valleys  and  open  stretches  fertile  in  grain,  such  as  I  had  eaten  in  this  country,  with 
a  great  many  other  fruits;  and  that  the  lake  went  near  some  mountains,  which  were 
perhaps,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  about  fifteen  leagues  from  us.  I  saw  on  the  south 
others  not  less  high  than  the  first,  but  they  had  no  snow  at  all  "  It  has  been  said 
that  on  one  or  more  occasions  snow  has  been  seen  on  Mount  Mansfield  in  the 
summer  months. 

Champlain  with  his  two  companions  and  Indian  warriors  proceeded  southward 
along  the  west  side  of  the  lake  to  the  encampment  of  the  Iroquois,  their  enemies. 


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The  Champlain  Tercentenary  361 


He  thus  describes  their  meeting:  "  When  evening  came  we  embarked  in  our 
canoes  to  continue  on  our  way;  and,  as  we  were  going  along  very  quietly,  and 
without  making  any  noise,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  the  month,  we  met  the  Iroquois 
at  10  o'clock  at  night  at  the  end  of  a  cape  that  projects  into  the  lake  on  the  west 
side,  and  they  were  coming  to  war.  We  both  began  to  make  loud  cries,  each 
getting  his  arms  ready.  We  withdrew  toward  the  water  and  the  Iroquois  went 
ashore  and  arranged  their  canoes  in  the  line,  and  began  to  cut  down  trees  with  poor 
axes,  which  they  get  in  war  sometimes,  and  also  with  others  of  stone;  and  they 
barricaded  themselves  very  well. 

"  Our  men  also  passed  the  whole  night  with  their  canoes  drawn  up  close  together, 
fastened  to  poles,  so  that  they  might  not  get  scattered,  and  might  fight  all  together, 
if  there  were  need  of  it;  we  were  on  the  water  within  arrow  range  of  the  side 
where  their  barricades  were. 

"  WTien  they  were  armed  and  in  array,  they  sent  two  canoes  set  apart  from  the 
others  to  learn  from  their  enemies  if  they  wanted  to  fight.  They  replied  that  they 
desired  nothing  else;  but  that,  at  the  moment,  there  was  not  much  light  and  that 
they  must  wait  for  the  daylight  to  recognize  each  other,  and  that  as  soon  as  the  sun 
rose  they  would  open  the  battle.  This  was  accepted  by  our  men;  and  while  we 
waited,  the  whole  night  was  passed  in  dances  and  songs,  as  much  on  one  side  as 
on  the  other,  with  endless  insults,  and  other  talk,  such  as  the  little  courage  they 
had,  their  feebleness  and  inability  to  make  resistance  against  their  arms,  and  that 
when  day  came  they  should  feel  it  to  their  ruin." 

After  describing  what  took  place  during  the  night  Champlain  proceeds  to  give 
an  account  of  the  engagement  as  follows:  "As  soon  as  we  were  ashore  they 
began  to  run  about  200  paces  toward  their  enemy,  who  were  standing  firmly  and 
had  not  yet  noticed  my  companions,  we  went  into  the  woods  with  some  savages. 
Our  men  began  to  call  me  with  loud  cries;  and,  to  give  me  a  passageway,  they 
divided  into  two  parts  and  put  me  at  their  head,  where  I  marched  about  twenty 
paces  in  front  of  them  until  I  was  thirty  paces  from  the  enemy.  They  at  once 
saw  me  and  hailed,  looking  at  me,  and  I  at  them.  When  I  saw  them  making  a 
move  to  shoot  at  us,  I  rested  my  arquebuse  against  my  cheek  and  aimed  directly  at 
one  of  the  three  chiefs.  With  the  same  shot  two  of  them  fell  to  the  ground,  and 
one  of  their  companions,  who  was  wounded  and  afterward  died.  I  put  four  balls 
into  my  arquebuse.  When  our  men  saw  this  shot  so  favorable  for  them,  they  began 
to  make  cries  so  loud  that  one  could  not  have  heard  it  thunder.  Meanwhile  the 
arrows  did  not  fail  to  fly  from  both  sides.  The  Iroquois  were  much  astonished 
that  two  men  had  been  so  quickly  killed,  although  they  were  provided  with  armor 
Woven  from  cotton  thread  and  from  wood,  proof  against  their  arrows.  TTiis 
alarmed  them  greatly.    As  I  was  loading  again,  one  of  my  companions  fired  a  shot 


362  State  of  New  York 


from  the  woods,  which  astonished  them  again  to  such  a  degree  that,  seeing  their 
chief  dead,  they  lost  courage,  took  to  flight  and  abandoned  the  field  and  their  fort, 
fleeing  into  the  depths  of  the  woods.  Pursuing  them  thither  I  killed  some  more  of 
them.  Our  savages  also  killed  several  of  them  and  took  ten  or  twelve  of  them 
prisoners.  The  rest  escaped  with  the  wounded.  There  were  fifteen  or  sixteen  of 
our  men  wounded  by  arrow  shots,  who  were  soon  healed. 

*'  This  place,  where  this  charge  was  made,  is  in  latitude  43  degrees  and  some 
minutes,  and  I  named  the  lake.  Lake  Champlain." 

The  foregoing  is,  in  substance,  Champlain's  narrative  of  his  discovery  and 
passage  through  Lake  Champlain.  He  says:  "  The  Indians  told  him  of  the 
waterfall  and  of  a  lake  beyond  three  or  four  leagues  long,"  and  says  that  he  saw 
the  waterfall,  but  says  nothing  about  the  lake,  which  is  assumed  to  be  Lake  George. 

There  has  been  some  controversy  among  historians  as  to  the  location  of  this 
engagement,  but  most  agree  that  it  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Ticonderoga,  although 
Mr.  George  F.  Bixby,  in  a  formal  address  before  the  Albany  Institute  on  November 
5,  1889,  contends  that  the  first  battle  of  Lake  Champlain  occurred  at  Crown 
Point  and  his  address  on  that  occasion  will  be  read  with  interest  by  those  who  hold 
the  latter  view.  The  battle  occurred  on  July  30,  1  609,  and  produced  implacable 
hatred  on  the  part  of  the  warlike  Iroquois  toward  the  French.  Its  effect  upon  the 
Iroquois,  who  thereafter  arrayed  themselves  against  the  French,  is  too  well  knovra 
to  require  further  mention.  After  the  battle  Champlain  returned  to  Quebec  and 
continued  to  act  as  Governor  of  Canada  until  I  629.  He  surrendered  the  govern- 
ment to  the  English  in  the  latter  year  and  returned  to  France.  On  his  return  to 
France  in  1 609,  he  had  reported  to  Sieur  de  Monts,  then  at  Fontainebleau,  the 
results  of  his  explorations  in  the  New  World,  and  waited  upon  His  Majesty,  and 
gave  him  an  account  of  his  voyage,  which  was  received  with  pleasure  and  satisfac- 
tion, and  Champlain  presented  to  him  an  account  of  the  beautiful  lake  which  he 
had  discovered. 

Champlain  was  the  first  white  man  to  set  foot  upon  the  territory  now  comprising  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  from  his  description  of  the  islands  in  Lake  Champlain  he 
may  have  visited  them  also.  The  first  island  that  he  discovered  in  Lake  Champlain 
was  Isle  La  Motte,  which  he  saw  as  he  entered  the  north  end  of  the  lake,  and  from 
its  location  he  may  have  landed  at  Sandy  Point,  where  a  settlement  was  made  a 
few  years  later. 

Champlain  and  his  two  associates  were  undoubtedly  the  first  white  men  to  visit 
the  territory  now  comprising  the  State  of  Vermont,  and  in  his  narrative  he  gives  us 
the  earliest  account  of  its  aboriginal  occupancy. 

His  journey  through  the  lake  afforded  him  a  view  of  the  beauties  of  its  mountain 
scenery,  the  admiration  of  tourists  ever  after. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  363 


His  discovery  of  the  lake,  to  which  he  gave  his  name,  occurred  nearly  two 
months  prior  to  the  discovery  of  the  Hudson  river  by  Henry  Hudson,  and  set  into 
operation  a  train  of  events  that  gave  the  valley  its  French  settlement  that  continued 
for  nearly  a  century  and  a  half. 

Long  before  its  discovery  by  Samuel  Champlain,  in  July,  1 609,  Lake  Cham- 
plain  was  the  resort  and  battle  ground  of  the  savage  Algonquin,  Huron  and  Iroquois 
Nations,  who  peopled  its  islands  and  circumjacent  beautifully  shaded  and  picturesque 
shores.  It  was  a  paradise  for  the  aborigines,  whose  native  customs  and  adventurous 
but  precarious  life  were  a  startling  revelation  to  such  an  explorer  as  Champlain,  com- 
ing as  he  did  from  the  refinements  of  French  life  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  cen- 
turies. Still  he  was  hospitably  received  and  escorted  to  and  through  the  lake,  then 
known  as  Caniaderiguarunte,  which  signifies  the  "  gate  of  the  country."  The  lake 
was  also  known  as  Peta-wa-boque,  meaning  alternate  land  and  water,  and  also  as 
Mer  des  Iroquois.  It  was  traversed  by  the  warring  Indian  tribes,  whose  canoes 
formed  picturesque  flotillas  in  those  early  days  on  the  blue  waters  of  the  lake. 

Had  Champlain  been  gifted  with  the  poetic  imagination  of  a  Homer  or  a 
Virgil,  he  might  have  cast  into  an  epic  the  story  of  his  explorations  and  discoveries, 
which  were  quite  as  thrilling  as  those  of  the  Iliad,  the  Odyssey,  or  the  Aeneid. 
Other  poets  have  dwelt  upon  the  beauties  of  this  lake,  and  have  sung  of  the  tragic 
events  that  have  occurred  on  Its  waters. 

The  Champlain  valley  is  one  of  the  historic  portions  of  the  American  continent. 
Its  Indian  occupation  was  succeeded  by  that  of  the  French,  and  that  In  turn  by  the 
English.  From  its  discovery,  in  July,  1  609,  to  the  Battle  of  Plaltsburgh,  In  Sep- 
tember, 1814,  Lake  Champlain  was  the  thoroughfare  of  many  expeditions  and  the 
scene  of  many  sanguinary  engagements.  Noted  French,  British  and  American  offi- 
cers visited  it,  and  stopped  at  Its  forts,  from  Sainte  Anne  on  the  north,  founded  at 
Isle  La  Motte  in  1  666,  to  St.  Frederic,  founded  in  honor  of  the  French  secretary 
of  foreign  affairs,  Frederic  Maurepas,  by  Marquis  de  Beauharnois,  governor- 
general  of  Canada,  at  CrowTj  Point,  in  I  731,  and  Fort  Carillon,  founded  at  Ticon- 
deroga  in  I  753,  on  the  south. 

The  grants  of  some  of  its  islands  and  adjacent  shores,  lands  under  French 
selgnories,  were  the  subject  of  a  long  controversy  between  the  French  and  British 
governments  challenging  on  the  one  side  the  consideration  of  such  officials  as 
Marquis  de  Beauharnois  and  others  under  Louis  XV  and  Louis  XVI,  and  on  the 
other  side  such  statesmen  as  Lovd  Dartmouth,  Edmund  Burke  and  Sir  Henry 
Moore,  under  the  British  crov^rn.  But  few,  if  any  occupations  were  made  under 
French  seignorial  grants,  and  the  controversy  finally  ended  after  the  Seven  Years' 
French  and  Indian  war,  which  terminated  with  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  by  the  British  in  1  759,  and  the  later  sovereign  control  by  the  Ameri- 
cans during  the  Revolution. 


364  State  of  New  York 


The  Champlain  valley  was  the  scene  of  important  military  and  one  naval  engage- 
ment during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  permission  has  been  obtained  from  the 
War  Department  to  raise  from  the  waters  of  Lake  Champlain  the  Ro^al  Savage 
at  Valcour  island,  the  flagship  of  Benedict  Arnold  during  that  engagement.  The 
history  of  Ticonderoga  and  Macdonough's  victory  at  the  Battle  of  Plattsburgh 
in  September,  1814,  are  of  such  national  importance  as  to  merit  Federal  considera- 
tion during  the  forthcoming  celebration  of  the  discovery  of  the  lake. 

For  two  hundred  years  or  longer  the  Champlain  valley  was  the  highway  between 
Albany  on  the  south  and  Quebec  on  the  north,  through  which  surged  the  tides  of 
war  and  travel,  until  every  prominent  point  and  important  island  in  the  lake  was 
marked  by  some  notable  event,  worthy  of  historic  mention.  The  proposed  celebra- 
tion of  the  discovery  of  the  lake  will  commemorate  some  of  these  important  events. 
Sewell  S.  Cutting,  D.D.,  in  a  poem  read  at  the  University  of  Vermont  in  1877, 
thus  describes  some  of  these  events.     He  says: 

I  shift  my  theme,  nor  yet  shall  wander  far. 
My  song  shall  linger  where  my  memories  are. 
Dear  Lake  Champlain !    thou  hast  historic  fame, — 
The  world  accords  it  in  thy  very  name. 
Not  English  speech  these  savage  wilds  first  heard. 
Not  English  prows  that  first  these  waters  stirred; 
Primeval  forests  cast  their  shadows  dark. 
On  dusky  forms  in  craft  of  fragile  bark. 
When  first  the  pale  face  from  the  distant  sea. 
Brought  hither  conquering  cross,  and  fieur  de  Us, 
On  frowning  headlands  rose  the  forts  of  France, — 
Around  them  villages,  and  song,  and  dance. 
Four  generations  came  and  passed  away, 
Of  treacherous  peace  or  sanguinary  fray. 
When  hostile  armies  hostile  flags  unfurled. 
To  wage  the  destiny  of  half  the  world. 

Much  more  might  be  said  of  the  historic  riches  of  the  Champlain  valley,  and  of 
their  importance  in  the  building  up  of  two  States  of  the  Union.  Some  of  these  are 
attributable  to  the  settlements  that  followed  its  discovery  by  Samuel  Champlain, 
and  had  he  foreseen  these  he  might  have  reckoned  it  an  achievement  not  second  to 
the  founding  of  Quebec. 

Time  will  not  permit  me  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  events  that  followed, 
but  there  are  a  few  that  deserve  special  mention.  In  1615,  Samuel  Champlain 
passed  up  the  Ottawa  to  the  Portage,  crossed  to  Lake  Nippissing,  voyaged  through 
that  lake  and  down  the  French  river,  entering  the  Georgian  bay.  He  was  the  first 
white  man  to  behold  Lake  Huron,  and  a  few  months  later  the  first  to  cross  Lake 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  365 


Ontario.  He  wintered  with  the  Hurons  in  the  Georgian  Bay  territory,  and  set  out 
with  them  by  the  way  of  Lake  Simcoe  and  the  Trent  river  in  an  expedition  against 
the  Iroquois  in  Central  New  York.  An  engagement  occurred  not  far  from  Onon- 
daga lake,  in  which  Champlain  was  slightly  wounded.  Through  his  leadership  his 
party  was  victorious,  and  after  pillaging  villages,  destroying  crops  and  leveling  crude 
palisades,  he  returned  to  Quebec  in  the  summer  of  1616.  From  that  time  to  1627, 
Champlain  made  annual  trips  to  France.  On  some  of  these  he  entered  or  departed 
from  the  Port  of  Dieppe,  which  I  visited  in  1905.  In  1629,  a  British  fleet 
ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  and  Champlain  was  forced  to  surrender,  and  was 
taken  a  captive  to  England.  Before  his  arrival,  however,  peace  was  declared,  and 
through  the  intervention  of  the  French  ambassador,  upon  information  given  in  part 
to  him  by  Champlain,  the  King  of  England,  promised  to  restore  New  France  to  the 
French  crown.  In  1  632,  Champlain  was  reappointed  governor  of  the  Colony  of 
Quebec,  and  the  following  year  assumed  his  duties  as  such.  He  was  now  an  old 
man,  with  many  infirmities,  due  to  frontier  service  and  many  hardships,  and  on 
Christmas  Day,  1 633,  passed  away  in  his  chamber  at  Quebec.  He  was  there 
buried  with  such  honors  as  could  be  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  colony,  but  the  site 
of  his  burial  place  is  now  unknown. 

With  the  limited  means  at  his  disposal  and  the  facilities  afforded  by  the  govern- 
ment which  he  represented,  it  may  be  safely  said  that  he  accomplished  more  than 
any  other  explorer  of  his  age.  His  annual  voyages  across  the  Atlantic,  in  the  frail 
barks  of  that  time,  tossed  and  tempest  driven  as  they  were  by  the  fierce  storms  that 
swept  the  sea,  were  sufficient  to  have  disheartened  a  navigator  of  less  resolution  than 
he,  but  these  were  only  a  few  of  the  hardships  to  which  he  was  exposed.  The  long 
winters  spent  in  Canada,  without  proper  protection  from  the  elements,  and  with 
inadequate  supplies,  were  hardships  which  few  were  able  to  endure.  But  in  addition 
to  these  he  explored  vast  areas  of  territory  peopled  only  by  savages,  without  proper 
food  and  with  poor  shelter,  and  exposed  to  all  the  maladies  prevalent  in  a  new  and 
unsettled  country. 

He  compiled  narratives  of  his  voyages  and  explorations  and  drew  maps  of  the 
various  places  that  he  visited,  which  were  among  the  first  left  by  any  explorer. 

He  was  brave,  high  minded  and  distinguished  for  his  Christian  zeal  and  purity. 
He  often  said  that  "  the  salvation  of  one  soul  is  of  more  value  than  the  conquest  of 
an  enemy."  He  fostered  Christianity  and  civilization,  and  succeeded  in  establishing 
a  colony  in  Canada.  He  won  and  held  the  friendship  of  the  Indians,  who  looked 
upon  him  as  their  most  powerful  friend  and  to  whom  they  frequently  repaired  in 
time  of  trouble  or  distress. 


366  State  of  New  York 


"  Of  the  pioneers  of  the  North  American  forests,"  says  Parkman,  "  his  name 
stands  foremost  on  the  Hsts.  It  was  he  who  struck  the  deepest  and  boldest  stroke  into 
the  heart  of  their  pristine  barbarism.  At  Chantilly,  at  Fontainebleau,  at  Paris,  in 
the  cabinets  of  princes,  and  of  royalty  itself,  mingling  with  the  proud  vanities  of  the 
court;  then  lost  from  sight  in  the  depths  of  Canada,  the  companion  of  savages,  the 
sharer  of  their  toils,  privations  and  battles,  more  hardy,  patient  and  bold  than  they, 
such  for  successive  years  were  the  alternations  of  this  man's  hfe.  He  belonged 
partly  to  the  past,  partly  to  the  present,  the  Preux  Chevalier,  the  Crusader,  the 
romance-loving  explorer,  the  practical  navigator,  all  claimed  their  share  in  him." 

The  States  of  Vermont  and  New  York  have  by  legislative  enactments  authorized 
and  appointed  commissions,  and  made  appropriations  for  the  observance  of  the 
Tercentenary  of  the  Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain,  to  be  held  in  the  month  of  July, 
I  909.  These  commissions  have  organized  and  are  now  formulating  plans  for  that 
celebration.  It  has  been  proposed  that  exercises  be  held  at  Isle  La  Motte,  Platts- 
burgh,  Burlington,  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga,  around  which  several  points 
rotate  most  or  all  the  great  events  occurring  in  the  Champlain  valley  since  its  dis- 
covery. It  is  a  matter  of  such  importance  as  to  challenge  the  attention  not  only  of 
two  States,  but  of  the  Federal  Government,  which  will  be  invited  to  participate  in 
the  exercises.  State,  National  and  International  events  justify  the  co-operation  of 
the  Federal  Government  and  the  representation  of  two  foreign  governments.  It  is 
expected  that  the  National  Government  vsnll  make  suitable  appropriation  for  that 
purpose,  and  will  assume  the  responsibility  of  inviting  and  entertaining  representa- 
tives from  the  Republic  of  France,  the  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Dominion 
of  Canada.  The  diplomacy  exhibited  at  the  Quebec  Tercentenary  Celebration  was 
such  that  the  descendants  of  the  French  and  English  heartily  co-operated  in  civil, 
military  and  naval  festivities,  commemorative  of  the  important  events  of  Canadian 
history.  The  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Celebration  may  also  be  made  inter- 
esting if  a  similar  spirit  prevail  among  the  peoples  that  participate  in  its  conduct. 

This  is  an  age  of  historical  as  well  as  scientific  research.  The  domain  of  empires 
long  since  perished  and  the  foundations  of  buried  cities  are  being  explored  to  learn 
something  of  the  civilization  of  the  peoples  who  lived  in  the  youth-hood  of  the  world. 
As  a  result  Crete  is  revealing  the  wonders  of  the  Minoan  age,  which  "  immediately 
succeeded  the  Neolithic,"  inspiring  the  poet  to  sing: 

Oh!     temples  of   the   eternal   mystery. 
Oh  I    eternal  mystery  of  temples! 

Mesopotamia  is  unfolding  in  its  cylinders  and  monuments  something  of  the  life 
of  the  peoples  who  dwelt  in  its  three  hundred  and  sixty  once  flourishing  cities;  the 
Aegean,  Grecian   and   Roman  civilizations  are  matters  of  general  interest  to  the 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  367 


people  of  this  generation  and  all  lands  and  all  ages  are  yielding  their  treasures  to 
the  researches  of  explorers,  archaeologists  and  historians.  How  can  we  justify 
ourselves  in  the  opinion  of  succeeding  generations  if  we  fail  to  call  the  attention  of 
the  present  generation  to  the  important  and  thrilling  events  that  have  occurred  in  the 
Champlain  valley  during  the  three  hundred  years  since  its  discovery? 

The  success  of  the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Celebration  will  largely 
depend  on  our  fidelity  to  this  duty  and  on  our  appreciation  of  the  heroic  services  of 
those  who  have  given  it  imperishable  fame  in  the  annals  of  American  history. 
(Applause.) 


Statue   oi  Champlain  at  Champlain,   N.  Y. 


Statue  of  Champlain  at  Quebec 


Statue  of  Champlain  at  St.  John,   N.  B. 


THE  GEOLCKIY  OF  THE  CHAMPLAIN  VALLEY 

369 


25 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  CHAMPLAIN  VALLEY 

By   John  M.  Clarke,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Director  of   the  New  York  State  Museum 

AS  THE  TRAVELER  is  whirled  along  the  rounding  shores  and  through 
the  chffs  of  this  valley  or  piloted  over  the  surface  of  its  waters, 
however  he  may  be  impressed  with  its  natural  beauties,  he  rarely 
seeks  to  grasp  the  real  source  of  them.  The  historian,  busied  in  commem- 
orating the  vivid  human  events  which  here  have  left  their  mark  on  the 
records  of  the  nation,  seldom  stops  to  ask  why  these  critical  juxtapositions 
have  happened  in  such  a  place.  All  the  progress  of  human  events  in  any 
place  is  too  often  assumed  to  be  a  matter  of  unguided  chance;  it  thus 
happened  that  matters  so  fell  out,  and  the  train  of  events  which  led  to 
them,  if  seen  at  all,  is  only  in  closest  perspective. 

Tlie  truth  lies  far  away  from  any  such  conception.  Man  has  never 
been  in  reality  the  arbiter  of  his  own  fortunes  but  his  history  has  been  at 
the  mercy  of  physical  forces  and  events  more  ancient,  more  fundcunental 
and  more  enduring  than  his  slender  maneuverings. 

There  would  have  been  no  such  record  of  events  as  this  book  com- 
memorates, no  marching  of  armies  or  sailing  of  fleets  through  this  pic- 
turesque spot,  there  could  have  been  no  struggle  which  was  to  decide  here 
the  perpetuation  of  our  nation,  of  one  human  stock,  of  one  language  and 
one  form  of  civil  polity  over  another  in  a  great  section  of  the  western 
hemisphere,  if  the  ages  before  these  issues  were  born  had  not  made  the 
stage  on  which  the  decisive  acts  were  to  be  played  out. 

The  trains  of  action  that  constitute  human  history  are  so  closely  knit  to 
geography  that  they  are  little  else  than  one  of  its  natural  effects.  We 
are  apt  to  forget  this;  the  narrower  our  radius,  the  closer  we  stick  to  our 
latitude  and  longitude,  the  less  we  range  the  broad  earth  and  expand  our 
horizon,  the  easier  it  is  to  think  wrongly,  illogically  or  immorally  of  human 
history.  I  may  say  immorally  for  the  geography  of  our  planet  has  as 
infallibly  been  the  guide  of  human  morals  as  of  human  history. 

371 


372  State  of  New  York 

Geography,  however,  is  but  a  present  expression  of  geological  forces 
and  effects.  As  we  are  wont  to  use  the  term,  geography  means  the 
existing  configuration  of  the  earth;  but  its  exact  meaning  is  of  far  wider 
scope,  for  the  earth's  geography  has  been  changing  from  its  beginning  and 
it  is  not  to-day  what  it  was  yesterday  and  will  be  to-morrow.  History  is 
indeed  not  the  bare  train  of  events  through  which  human  society  has 
arrived  at  its  present  state.  Such  events  by  themselves  are  sterile  things, 
not  always  inspiring,  nor  are  their  records  always  read  aright.  Walpole 
advised  his  son  to  read  all  else  but  history  for  that  was  a  barren  mass 
of  lies.  But  back  of  the  events  of  history  is  the  philosophy  which  gave 
them  birth,  the  struggle  of  ideas  rather  than  men,  the  determination  of 
future  cultures  rather  than  the  achievement  of  the  ambitions  of  sovereigns, 
the  hopes  of  settlers  or  the  comfort  of  the  people. 

The  events  of  history  depicted  in  these  commemorative  pages,  the 
shifting  and  conflicting  procession  of  human  interests,  the  tides  of  antagon- 
istic ideals,  which  advanced  and  ebbed  again  through  the  Champlain 
valley,  must  find  their  philosophic  setting  in  the  very  existence  of  the 
valley,  its  configuration,  the  causes  which  brought  it  into  being.  The 
independence  of  the  American  republic  and  the  predominance  in  this 
country  of  the  English  tongue,  so  far  as  these  results  were  determined  by 
the  events  of  this  valley,  find  the  ultimate  causes  of  their  realization  here 
in  those  throes  of  nature  which  brought  this  place  into  existence.  Let 
us  then  take  a  backward  glance  over  these  preparative  events. 

In  the  remote  past  of  the  earth  where  time  is  reckoned  in  work  done, 
not  years,  and  the  mists  hang  like  a  fog  bank  where  the  most  experienced 
skipper  must  navigate  by  dead  reckoning,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  find  a 
single  cause  or  one  grand  effect  which  may  be  taken  as  a  starting  point 
for  a  long  chain  of  changes  lasting  through  a  great  part  of  geological 
history. 

The  valley  of  Champlain,  its  lake  and  its  drainage,  is  inseparably 
connected  in  origin  with  the  majestic  and  historic  St.  Lawrence  river; 
as  with  their  human  history,  both  share  a  common  geologic  birth  and 
progress. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  373 

The  intrepid  Malouin,  Cartier,  the  first  white  man  to  wet  keel  in  the 
St.  Lawrence,  after  having  taken  possession  of  New  France  in  the  name 
of  his  sovereign,  would  have  found  no  passage  for  his  vessel,  and  Cham- 
plain  none  for  his  little  craft  on  the  lake  which  now  bears  his  name  had 
not  a  like  series  of  ancient  disturbances  in  the  crust  of  the  earth  combined 
to  produce  both  these  valleys. 

The  great  mass  of  hard  granites  and  their  associated  rocks  which  now 
make  the  Adirondack  mountains  and  extend  over  vast  reaches  of  Canada 
to  Labrador  on  the  east  and  toward  the  Yukon  on  the  west,  were  for 
the  most  part  laid  down  in  the  quiet  waters  of  the  primitive  ocean.  Soon 
they  became  shot  through  with  molten  rocks  lying  just  beneath  the  thin 
but  thickening  crust  and  in  time  all  were  raised  together  above  the 
water's  edge  as  the  majestic  mountains  of  the  first  continent.  So  intense 
were  the  stresses  to  which  they  were  subjected  that  the  originally  soft 
sediments  of  the  ocean  mixed  with  the  soft  lavas  oozing  into  them  from 
beneath,  became  the  resistant  solid  heart  of  that  great  Laurentian  mass 
whose  apex  is  the  Adirondacks  and  which  the  geologist  calls  the 
"  Canadian  shield."  About  the  edges  of  this  Canadian  shield  or  primi- 
tive continent  the  ocean  waters  still  laid  down  its  sediments  of  mud  and 
sand,  lapping  its  margins  then  as  they  do  to-day  along  the  coasts  of 
Labrador.  As  the  ages  lapsed,  these  sediments  heaped  themselves  to 
a  great  thickness,  and,  little  by  little,  under  the  slow  process  of  time,  were 
pressed  out  and  dried  into  limestones  and  sandstones  and  shales,  still 
carrying  in  their  substance  the  remains  of  the  animals  whose  lives  were 
played  out  over  these  successive  ocean  bottoms.  Thus  lay  the  great 
Canadian  shield  tough  and  hard  as  an  iron  cap  over  northeastern 
America,  surrounded  by  the  softer  rocks  of  the  ancient  paleozoic  series, 
when  first  began  that  series  of  tremendous  strains  and  stresses  in  the  earth's 
crust  which  turned  up  into  successive  mountain  ridges  the  ranges  of  the 
Appalachians. 

It  was  a  lateral  or  tangential  shove  of  the  soft  rocks  against  the  harder, 
a  mighty  pressure  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean  basis  shoreward,  and  the 
softer  rocks  were  crumpled  into  mountain  waves  like  sheets  of  paper. 


374  State  of  New  York 

Like  an  impregnable  redoubt  the  Canadian  shield  stood  unmoved  under 
the  assaults  of  these  rock  waves  and  along  the  line  where  the  hard  and 
the  softer  rocks  met  there  was  a  great  rift  made  through  the  earth's  crust. 
To-day  the  traveler  through  the  lower  St.  Lawrence  sees  at  the  north 
the  low  and  rounded  granite  hills  of  the  tough  Canadian  shield  which 
have  withstood  all  assaults  of  time  save  the  eternal  wear  of  water  and 
weather,  while  at  the  south  rise  in  majestic  elevation  the  broken  cliffs  of 
limestone,  sandstone  and  shale  pushed  to  these  hights  against  the  granite 
mountains  beyond.  On  Lake  Champlain  the  western  shore  of  old  crys- 
tallines lies  high  and  sheer  while  the  contour  of  the  downsunken  eastern 
shore  are  low  and  gentle. 

The  deep  and  long  break  across  the  rocks  which  outlined  the  course 
of  the  future  St.  Lawrence  is  sometimes  known  as  "  Logan's  Fault," 
taking  its  name  from  the  eminent  Canadian  geologist  who  determined  its 
existence.  Subsidiary  or  coeval  seems  to  have  been  the  fault  which 
determined  the  Champlain  valley.  The  St.  Lawrence  and  its  confluent 
valley,  the  Champlain,  are  the  oldest  waterways  on  earth.  Together 
they  have  been  first  one  long  channel  through  which  has  flowed  the  sea 
that  separated  the  parts  of  the  growing  continent,  then  the  drainage  ways 
of  the  larger  continent,  varying  in  their  function  but  never  changed  in  their 
position  from  the  early  dawn  of  geological  time. 

It  would  be  hardly  correct  to  say  that  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain 
was  made  by  the  breaking  down  of  the  rock  strata  along  a  single  joint 
or  rift.  It  seems  more  likely  that  the  great  strains  which  caused  the  rocks 
to  break,  here  produced  a  parallel  series  of  northeast  and  southwest  rifts 
extending  to  such  great  depths  that  the  unsupported  blocks  of  rock 
bounded  by  these  rifts  were  either  pinched  out  of  place  or  settled  down 
under  their  own  weight.  So  in  the  Champlain  valley  such  a  great  block 
has  probably  dropped  downward,  more  at  the  west  than  on  the  east,  has, 
in  fact,  while  sinking,  been  tilted  over  so  that  its  western  side  sank  deeper 
and  left  the  walls  of  the  next  adjoining  block  on  the  west  high  and  steep 
where  they  now  stand  from  Port  Henry  to  Bluff  Point.    This  valley  was 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  375 

a  zone  of  fracture  and  crushing  and  being  so  was  the  line  of  least  resistance 
to  the  moving  and  eroding  waters  whether  of  the  sea  or  land. 

Thus  the  Champlain  valley  was  born,  and  whatever  may  be  the  changes 
through  which  it  has  passed,  the  faulted  rocks  still  remain  the  controlling 
cause  of  its  existence.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  such  a  downbreak  of 
the  rocks  extending  from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal  and 
probably  farther  west,  and  thence  along  the  course  of  the  lake,  must  have 
brought  into  existence  a  condition  of  weakness  and  unstable  equilibrium 
in  the  rocks  which  did  not  exist  before  the  rupture  occurred.  We  do  not 
know  from  any  records  in  the  rocks  themselves,  how  often  or  how  much 
since  these  primal  disturbances  the  displacements  may  have  continued.  It 
is  quite  likely  they  have  often  been  renewed  and  even  to-day  we  may 
doubt  if  a  final  equilibrium  has  been  reached  in  all  their  parts.  There  are 
records  in  human  history  which  indicate  the  continuation  of  these  attempts 
at  readjustment.  In  1 663,  after  the  French  had  long  been  well  established 
from  Gaspe  up  to  Hochelaga  and  beyond  the  religious  establishments 
at  Quebec  and  Tadoussac  were  keeping  record  of  the  doings  along  the 
river,  occurred  a  great  earthquake  of  which  we  have  somewhat  hysterical 
accounts  in  the  reports  sent  back  to  France  by  the  Jesuit  fathers  and 
Mother  Intendant  of  the  Convent  of  the  Incarnation.  But  subtracting 
all  that  is  necessary  from  these  contemporary  stories,  imbued  with  the  im- 
comprehending  superstition  of  the  times,  there  remains  evidence  that  there 
did  occur  along  this  great  line  of  Logan's  fault  a  readjustment  of  the  rock 
strata  that  set  the  country  to  vibrating  in  a  way  that  has  never  been 
equaled  in  the  earthquake  annals  of  North  America.  The  earth  along 
the  valley  was  torn  and  rent,  the  forests  overthrown,  the  great  river  turned 
from  its  course  in  places;  old  streams  disappeared  and  new  waters  issued 
from  the  ground.  For  seven  years  this  region  was  shaken  by  ever  lessening 
disturbances  and  for  forty  years  after,  travelers  in  the  country  recorded 
the  evidences  of  the  disaster.  On  Lake  Champlain,  which  lay  within  the 
zone  of  influence  of  such  a  disturbance,  stands  Mt.  Trembleau.  I  do 
not  know  that  its  name  records  the  experience  with  these  earthquakes  of 
some  French  settlers  on  the  lake  but  there  is  reason  to  so  believe.    We 


376  State  of  New  York 

can  not  look  back  over  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  that  have  elapsed 
and  estimate  these  disturbances  as  remote.  To  geology  they  are  but  as 
yesterday  and  for  every  yesterday  there  is  a  to-morrow. 

A  second  stage  in  the  history  of  the  Champlain  valley  was  during  the 
early  paleozoic  days  when  it  served  as  the  Levi's  Channel,  a  sea  way 
connecting  the  mediterranean  sea  which  then  covered  the  greater  part 
of  the  eastern  United  States,  with  the  Atlantic  outside,  by  way  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  Then  there  lay  solid  land  to  the  east  of  this  passage 
covering  the  New  England  states  and  reaching  farther  seaward  than 
they  do  to-day.  It  was  a  free  though  narrow  channel  into  which  swarmed 
the  sea  life  of  the  time  whose  remains  the  geologist  finds  buried  in  the 
rocks  which  lie  on  the  summits  of  broken  strata  of  an  earlier  date. 

This  open  sea  way  through  the  Champlain  valley  is  most  ancient;  it 
dates  back  to  that  period  which  the  geologist  calls  the  Lower  Silurian, 
when  most  of  the  present  western  continent  was  submerged  beneath  the 
ocean  waters;  and  when  this  age  closed  the  Champlain  valley  was 
elevated  beyond  the  reach  of  the  salt  waters;  and  so  it  follows  that  when 
the  ocean  waters  had  departed,  no  more  rocks  were  formed  in  the  valley. 
Its  foundations  had  been  laid  and  all  its  rock  beds  completed  before 
these  waters  were  excluded.  Thus  the  region  became  continental  and 
began  its  long  career  as  a  drainage  way  for  the  fresh  waters  of  the  land. 
Not  till  long  ages  after  this  did  the  salt  waters  ever  re-enter  the  valley. 

From  the  departure  of  the  ocean  waters  to  their  return  are,  to  the 
geologist,  the  dark  ages  in  the  history  of  the  valley.  We  know  very 
little  else  of  the  doings  there  during  the  great  stretches  of  time  of  the 
later  Paleozoic,  the  Mesozoic  and  the  Tertiary  ages  when  elsewhere 
thousands  of  feet  of  rock  strata  were  made  by  successive  seas,  than  that 
the  terrestial  waters  flowed  through  it,  sometimes  to  the  north  to  join 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  sometimes  south  into  the  interior  mediterranean  sea 
or  to  join  the  Hudson  drainage.  Whether  the  water  moved  to  the  south 
or  to  the  north  depended  on  the  tilting  of  the  land.  But  of  this  important 
fact  we  have  a  definite  knowledge;  during  these  ages  the  tributaries  of 
the  valley  were  wearing  down  the  towering  summits  of  the  Adirondacks 


Souvenir  badge 


Official  guest  badge  of  New  York 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  377 

bringing  them  by  erosion  and  the  transportation  of  their  decay  down 
towards  their  present  low  level,  while  the  main  trunk  of  the  stream  itself 
was  engaged  in  widening  out  its  valley  back  to  the  base  of  the  mountains 
as  they  stand  to-day. 

With  this  long  unrecorded  interval  of  its  history  before  us,  while  the 
valley  was  abandoned  wholly  to  the  modifications  of  weather  and  drain- 
age, we  may  let  the  character  of  the  ancient  rock  beds  in  which  the  valley 
lies  attract  our  notice.  Fundamental  and  oldest  of  all  are  the  crystalline 
rocks  to  which  we  have  already  referred  as  constituting  the  mass  of  the 
Adirondacks  whose  rocks  run  down  here  and  there  to  the  shores  of  the 
lake  —  the  gray  gneisses  and  schists  of  the  Crenville  series  through  which 
have  broken  the  dark  volcanic  gabbros  and  lighter  syenites,  all  together  so 
tremendously  folded,  distorted  and  altered  that  the  solution  of  their 
problems,  their  origin  and  relative  order  of  succession  has  been  the  most 
difficult  and  obscure  presented  by  any  of  the  rocks  of  the  State.  One 
finds  these  Adirondack  crystallines  over  short  reaches  on  the  shores  and 
walls  of  the  lake  from  Ticonderoga  to  Essex  and  from  Willsboro  to  Port 
Kent.  The  railroad  tunnels  them  above  Port  Henry  and  runs  across 
them  behind  the  steep  lake  front  of  Split  Rock  Mountain.  On  its  way 
to  Port  Kent  this  picturesque  road  winds  through  deep  cuts,  around 
curving  ledges  of  them  and  bores  through  their  heart  on  the  sheer  cliffs  of 
Willsboro.  In  them  are  quarries  of  granite,  great  bodies  of  magnetic  iron 
ore  at  Mineville,  Cheever  and  back  in  the  mountains,  extensive  deposits 
of  graphite  at  Ticonderoga  and  elsewhere.  Their  veins  and  fissures  are 
the  source  of  many  interesting  crystallized  minerals. 

On  these  as  a  foundation  lie  the  almost  unaltered  Potsdam  sandstones, 
remnants  of  the  oldest  unchanged  sea  beach  that  we  know,  whose  red 
and  gray  layers  still  retain  the  rippled  surfaces  left  by  the  primordial 
waves  and  the  trails  of  the  primaeval  animals  which  dragged  themselves 
over  the  wet  sands  at  the  ebb  of  the  tides.  These  sands  once  extended 
well  over  the  mountains  showing  that  the  land  was  much  more  deeply 
submerged  than  now.  The  northern  margin  of  the  mountains  still  bears 
a  continuous  sheet  of  them  but  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  only  isolated  or 


378  State  of  New  York 

broken  patches  are  now  to  be  found,  scattered  all  the  way  from  the  upper 
tip  of  South  Bay  almost  to  Valcour  island.  Naturally  such  material  was 
laid  down  in  shallow  water  on  a  shelving  coast  line.  In  the  breaking 
down  of  the  rock  floor  at  a  later  date  some  patches  of  the  standstone  were 
caught  in  the  downthrusts  and  deeply  buried  while  those  that  remained 
have  been  mostly  worn  away  or  contracted  in  volume  during  the  ages. 
The  Potsdam  sandstone  is  displayed  with  compelling  effect  in  the  mag- 
nificent chasm  of  the  Ausable  river  which  has  cut  its  way  across  these 
strata  in  the  later  history  of  the  lake.  Gradually,  after  this  sand  had  been 
deposited  to  a  depth  of  several  hundred  feet,  the  bottom  of  the  sea  began 
to  sink  more  rapidly  and  in  the  deeper  water  thus  made  a  mud  was  laid 
down,  now  the  Beekmaniown  limestone,  overlying  the  Potsdam  sand- 
stone in  many  places  but  without  any  disturbance  in  the  regular  succession 
of  the  beds,  showing  that  there  was  no  distortion  or  upfolding  of  the 
earth's  crust  to  bring  about  this  change.  But  right  in  the  midst  of  the 
beds  that  are  now  known  by  this  name,  there  was  such  a  disturbance, 
when  the  lower  limestone  strata  were  raised  for  a  while,  distorted  some- 
what, eroded  under  exposure  to  the  air  and  then  sunk  again  beneath  the 
sea  to  receive  more  limestones  above  them.  Then  follow  above  in  regular 
succession  the  limestones  of  later  depositions,  the  C/iazp,  Blac}(  River 
and  Trenton,  all  together  representing  continuous  formations  in  a  pretty 
deep  sea  abounding  in  animals  whose  remains  are  found  in  the  rocks  where 
they  died  and  those  differences  in  kind  in  each  formation  form  an  essen- 
tial basis  of  distinction  between  the  successive  beds.  This  series  of  lime- 
stones are  to  be  seen  in  many  places;  about  Ticonderoga,  at  Crown 
Point  and  Westport,  through  Essex  and  Willsboro,  all  in  thin  strips  or 
patches  on  the  shore;  then  in  more  extensive  sheets  from  Valcour  through 
Plattsburgh  north  to  Rouse's  Point  and  on  the  northern  islands;  Valcour, 
Grand  Isle  and  Isle  La  Motte. 

The  closing  stage  of  the  marine  conditions  in  this  ancient  Silurian  time 
is  represented  by  shales  deposited  as  the  sea  was  shallowing  again 
preparatory  to  the  closing  up  of  this  Levis  channel.  The  Uiica  and 
Hudson  river  shales  are  to  be  seen  fringing  the  peninsulas  and  islands  and 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  379 

are  much  more  extensively  shown  on  the  low  shores  of  Vermont  than 
on  the  New  York  side.  They  are  the  final  term  in  the  old  rock  forma- 
tions of  the  valley. 

In  these  rock  beds  the  valley  lies  to-day  as  it  has  since  its  beginning. 
The  only  addition  to  them  are  the  sands  and  clays  which  hang  upon  the 
hillsides  or  rest  on  the  more  gently  sloping  shores  and  these  all  pertain 
to  the  later  stages  in  the  history  of  the  lake,  to  which  we  may  now  turn. 

When  the  waters  of  the  present  lake  are  very  low,  as  they  were  in  the 
dry  summer  of  1908,  they  uncover  a  series  of  wave  cut  shelves  in  the 
rocky  ledges  which  are  now,  under  normal  conditions  of  the  water, 
much  below  the  reach  of  wave  action.  These  are  believed  to  represent 
the  shore  lines  of  a  lake,  just  a  little  smaller  than  that  of  to-day,  which 
dated  back  to  a  time  preceding  the  advance  of  the  ice-sheet  —  that  con- 
trolling factor  of  the  glacial  period  which  so  profoundly  modified  the 
topography  of  our  country.  This  supposed  pre-glacial  lake  has  been 
named  Lal^e  Valcour  and  the  only  way  we  can  fix  its  age  is  by  the 
absence  of  any  glacial  deposits  in  connection  with  its  varied  shore  lines. 

Then  came  down  the  ice  of  the  Great  Glacier;  little  by  little  it 
advanced  southward  from  its  center  of  dispersion  in  Ungava  and  northern 
Labrador,  first  following  up  the  ancient  and  deeper  valleys  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  Champlain,  then,  as  its  volume  increased  with  years  of 
cold  and  moisture-soaked  atmosphere,  mantling  the  whole  surface  of 
the  land  even  to  the  tops  of  all  the  mountains  now  remaining  in  this  region. 
It  was  a  heavy  load  that  this  slowly  moving  mass  of  ice  piled  upon  the 
northern  lands  and  it  stayed  for  more  thousands  of  years  than  we  can 
now  guess;  it  scored  and  scoured  the  old  valley  of  Champlain  to  a  great 
depth  and  greater  width.  When  this  glacier  began  to  melt  and  its 
southern  front  to  retreat  back  northward,  it  left  here,  as  elsewhere,  great 
marginal  dams  or  frontal  moraines  of  rock  rubbish  which  the  moving 
sheet  had  shoved  before  it  or  carried  in  its  substance.  The  melting  waters 
overflowing  in  great  floods  worked  over  this  debris  and  rearranged  it, 
but  without  removing  it  all  to  any  great  distance  south.  In  front  of  the  ice 
foot  and  behind  the  dams  thus  formed  the  melting  water  was  impounded 


380  State  of  New  York 

as  fresh  water  lakes,  some  of  them  in  other  places  much  larger  than  all 
our  Great  Lakes  joined  in  one.  While  these  ice  waters  were  running 
off  to  the  south  by  the  old  Hudson  valley  outlet,  the  damming  of  that 
outlet  raised  the  waters  into  a  lake  which  overspread  the  present  Hudson 
valley  east  and  west  as  far  as  the  steep  bounding  walls  would  permit. 
As  the  ice  front  in  its  retreat  northward  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk 
valley,  it  let  into  this  lake  the  great  mass  of  glacial  waters  that  had  been 
held  back  in  western  New  York;  then  and  for  a  long  time  the  Great 
Lakes  were  drained  out  by  the  Mohawk  channel  into  the  Hudson  valley 
while  the  passage  by  the  St.  Lawrence  still  remained  impeded  by  the  ice. 
West  of  Albany  are  the  great  banks  of  sand,  the  Schenectady  plains, 
laid  down  by  these  discharging  waters,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  valleys 
are  clays  and  sands  which  extend  northward  continuously  into  the  valley 
of  Champlain.  These  clays  and  sands  are  the  deposits  of  the  glacial  lake 
whose  outlines  we  know  pretty  accurately  now,  and  which  is  called 
Lake  Albany. 

Lake  Albany  began  its  existence  before  the  ice  was  out  of  the  Cham- 
plain  valley  but  as  the  front  of  the  glacial  mantle  withdrew  northward 
that  valley  too  was  filled  with  lake  waters  contemporaneous  and  co-ex- 
tensive with  those  of  Lake  Albany.  The  deposits  from  these  waters 
narrow  near  the  present  divide  between  the  two  valleys  and  those  of 
Champlain  widen  out  over  an  area  greater  in  diameter  than  the  Albany 
waters  ever  reached,  so  we  are  in  the  way  of  conceiving  them  as  distinct 
water  bodies.  This  glacial  Lake  Champlain  is  called  Lake  Vermont  and 
when  at  its  greatest  size  it  extended  back  into  the  valleys  of  the  Adiron- 
dacks  on  the  west  and  much  further  over  the  lower  reaches  of  Vermont 
into  the  drainage  ways  of  the  Green  Mountains.  We  know  that, 
though  it  began  its  existence  as  Lake  Albany  was  completed,  it  was  not 
finished  till  long  afterward.  The  ice  was  still  retreating  back  to  its 
own  place,  the  land  was  going  down,  so  the  lake  waters  rose  to  relatively 
great  hights  on  the  mountain  slopes  and  until  the  ice  had  reached  and 
passed  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  so  long  did  Lake  Vermont  spread 
over  the  Champlain  valley  leaving  its  sands  and  clays  where  they  now 
cling  to  the  valley  slopes.     But  once  the  St.  Lawrence  had  been  passed 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  381 

by  the  ice  front  and  that  ancient  valley  was  again  opened  to  drainage, 
Lake  Vermont  was  tapped  and  its  waters  flowed  out  to  the  sea  by  the 
ancient  passage.  TTius  died  Lake  Vermont  after  a  hfe  whose  length 
can  not  be  estimated  but  which  it  may  be  safe  to  say,  was  as  long  as  the 
present  Lake  Champlain  has  existed. 

Now  followed  a  momentous  change  in  water  conditions.  The  earth's 
surface  which  had  been  sinking  in  these  latitudes  since  the  beginning  of 
the  break  up  of  the  ice,  kept  on  going  down  until  the  whole  St.  Lawrence 
channel  from  Ontario  to  the  Gulf  was  below  the  level  of  the  sea.  This 
sinking  brought  down  Champlain,  too,  below  sea  level,  and  thus  gradually 
into  this  valley  the  salt  waters  ascended,  rising  as  far  to  the  south  as 
Port  Henry  and  covering  in  width  almost  as  great  an  area  as  did  the  fresh 
waters  of  Lake  Vermont  which  had  preceded  them.  In  a  still  broader 
body  these  marine  waters  stretched  around  the  northern  Adirondacks  on 
to  Lake  Ontario  and  perhaps  into  some  of  the  Finger-lake  valleys  of 
central  New  York.  This  was  a  long  time  ago  but  there  are  still  to-day 
living  in  the  deeper  waters  of  Lake  Ontario  small  animals  whose  ancestors 
came  in  with  these  marine  waters  but  adapted  themselves  to  the  gradual 
change  from  the  salt  to  the  present  fresh  water  conditions.  This  great 
salt  bay  extending  to  Lake  Ontario  is  Gilbert  gulf  and  the  arm  of  this 
bay  which  filled  the  Champlain  valley  is  the  Hochelagan  sea.  In  its 
deposits  of  clays  and  sands  lying  on  the  valley  slopes  are  found  the  remains 
of  sea  animals,  the  bones  of  whale  and  seal,  and  the  shells  of  mollusks, 
all  indicating  cold  waters  and  a  subarctic  climate.  Thus  the  sea  had  come 
into  its  own  again  and  after  the  lapse  of  uncounted  ages  during  which  the 
continents  of  all  the  earth  had  well  nigh  been  brought  to  completion,  it 
flowed  once  more  in  the  old  Levis  Channel. 

The  clays  and  sands  that  carry  these  marine  shells  lie  as  high  as  three 
hundred  or  more  feet  above  sea  level  and  the  animals  are  of  much  the 
same  species  as  are  still  living  in  the  northern  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  at  depths  of  one  hundred  or  more  fathoms.  Here  then  has 
been  a  change  upward  in  the  movement  of  the  crust  of  about  one  thousand 
feet  since  the  sea  stood  for  the  last  time  over  the  valley  of  Champlain. 

There  remain  now  but  the  final  changes  in  the  valley  to  bring  the  lake 
to  its  present  condition.     The  marine  stage  of  the  lake  was  brought  to  a 


382  State  of  New  York 

close  by  a  slow  tilt  of  the  entire  Champlain-Hudson  valley,  depressing  it 
at  the  south  and  raising  it  at  the  north.  By  this  movement  all  the  lower 
Hudson  has  been  deeply  drowned  and  its  ancient  canyon  which  once 
reached  a  hundred  miles  beyond  New  York  bay  lies  buried  now  under 
fathoms  of  water.  The  counter  movement  upraised  the  Champlain 
valley  and  gradually  turned  back  the  marine  waters  till  they  were  wholly 
shut  out  by  the  elevation  of  the  valley  bottom  above  sea  level.  The  St. 
Lawrence  with  its  heavy  drainage  from  the  Great  Lakes  soon  washed 
out  from  its  channels  all  remnants  of  the  salt  water,  but  in  the  Champlain 
valley,  receiving  only  lesser  streams  from  the  mountain  sides,  this  process 
was  a  slower  one. 

Yet  in  time  the  waters  were  cleansed,  though  their  volume  was 
immensely  lessened,  and  the  lake  gradually  took  on  its  present  form  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  is  almost  a  reproduction  of  the  size  it  had  just  before  the 
ice  invaded  the  valley.  In  these  latter  stages  the  outlet  of  the  lake  may 
have  been  for  a  while  to  the  south  but  its  present  discharge  to  the  north 
through  the  Sorel  river  re-established  its  ancient  affiliation  with  the  St. 
Lawrence.  While  we  speak  of  this  condition  of  the  higher  waters  of 
the  lake  as  of  quite  recent  date  yet  some  measure  of  its  distance  from  us 
is  suggested  by  the  fact  that  since  the  retreat  of  these  high  waters  the 
Ausable  river  has  worn  out  its  wonderful  canyon  through  the  rocks  by  the 
slow  process  of  erosion,  breaking  down  the  sandstones  along  lines  of 
weakness  indicated  by  the  vertical  walls  bounding  the  rifts  in  the  strata. 

Thus  by  the  slow  changes  we  have  indicated  was  the  stage  set  for 
the  play  of  human  events  which  have  left  their  marks  in  this  valley  and 
their  influence  on  the  history  of  mankind.  Who  will  say  that  the  geog- 
raphy of  this  valley  has  not  dominated  its  events?  The  enclosed  lake 
with  its  barely  navigable  outlet  at  the  north  bounded  by  forest-covered 
lowlands  obstructing  the  easy  movement  of  armies  and  fleets,  may  have 
ensured  a  wholly  different  outcome  to  the  contending  issues  than  if  they 
had  been  fought  out  on  an  open  freely  navigable  arm  of  the  sea.  Here, 
then,  as  elsewhere  on  the  earth,  we  can  perceive  that  geography  has  been 
a  determinant  factor  in  human  history. 

John  M.  Clarke. 


EPISODES  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CHAMPLAIN 

VALLEY 

383 


4^' 


■■*«•»., 


L.  O.  ARMSTRONG 


EPISODES  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CHAMPLAIN 

VALLEY 
By  Frank  H.  Severance 

A  RECORD  OF  THE  CELEBRATION  of  the  300th  anniversary  of  the  dis- 
covery of  Lake  Champlain  may  properly  be  supplemented  by 
some  account,  not  merely  of  that  discovery,  but  of  other  significant 
and  decisive  events  that  have  followed,  and  which  constitute  the  history  of 
the  region.  Although  the  details  of  that  history  would  require  an  ample 
volume  for  their  proper  setting-forth,  it  is  possible  in  a  few  pages,  to  direct 
attention  to  the  principal  events,  especially  those  of  an  international  char- 
acter, which  have  occurred  in  the  Champlain  valley,  and  which  give  to 
this  region  a  peculiar  importance  in  the  history  of  America. 

Its  aboriginal  history  —  if  the  term  history  may  be  applied  to  a  period 
prior  to  the  beginning  of  trustworthy  records  —  may  be  neglected,  with 
little  loss.  A  glance  at  the  topography  of  the  region  tells  the  story. 
Here  is  a  lake  some  ninety  miles  long,  in  the  bosom  of  a  valley  of  perhaps 
twice  that  length,  having  direct  and  easy  communication  with  the  great 
natural  highways  to  the  north  and  the  south,  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Hudson.  It  was  natural  that  rival  tribes  should  contend  for  its  control 
and  meet  in  savage  conflict  on  its  waters.  At  the  dawn  of  history  here- 
abouts we  find  it  virtually  under  the  sway  of  the  Mohawks,  those 
easternmost  leaders  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  into  whose  warfare 
with  the  Algonquins  of  the  north  it  was  the  unhappy  fate  of  the  French 
to  be  drawn  as  soon  as  they  attempted  a  permanent  establishment  in 
America. 

It  followed  that  Champlain's  adventure  in  the  summer  of  1609  had 
a  two-fold  inspiration.  Beyond  question  he  was  eager  to  explore,  to  find 
new  lands  and  waters  for  his  king,  no  doubt  with  a  thought  for  the 
extension  of  trade  and  the  spread  of  the  Christian  religion;  but  when  in 
early  July  he  came  up  the  Richelieu  and  into  the  lake  which  bears  his 
Hcime,  it  was  less  as  an  avowed  explorer  than  as  a  warrior  armed  with  a 

385 
26 


386  State  of  New  York 

gun  —  a  device  for  killing  heretofore  unheard  of  in  that  wilderness.  It 
was  not  at  all  as  a  trader  or  a  missionary  that  he,  first  of  all  white  men, 
made  his  way  through  the  lake ;  but  as  the  friend  and  ally  of  his  savage 
Algonquin  escort,  who  rejoiced  at  the  chance  to  guide  him,  with  his 
death-dealing  weapon,  against  their  ancient  and  unsuspecting  Iroquois 
enemy.  When  the  rival  bands  met,  a  shot  or  two  put  to  flight  those  of 
the  enemy  who  were  not  killed;  and  the  white  warrior  retraced  his  way 
to  the  St.  Lawrence.  Although  history  must  accord  to  Champlain 
priority  as  an  explorer  of  the  region;  although  we  know  of  no  other 
white  man  who  preceded  him  in  a  passage  across  the  lake;  although  he 
was  the  first  civilized  man  to  look  upon  what  are  now  portions  of  New 
York  and  Vermont  states,  the  claim  in  his  behalf,  so  far  as  the  expe- 
dition of  1609  is  concerned,  cannot  be  carried  much  further.  It  won 
no  new  territory  for  his  king,  nor  was  there  any  wholesome  extension  of 
awe  or  respect  for  the  power  of  French  arms.  On  the  contrary,  the 
affair  of  the  first  killing  by  gunshot  in  what  is  New  York  State  gained 
for  the  French  the  enmity  of  the  Iroquois  federation,  which,  for  well  nigh 
a  century  and  a  half,  was  to  be  to  the  rulers  of  New  France,  a  source  of 
vexation,  of  cost  in  money  and  blood,  ending  only  with  the  conquest  of 
Canada  by  the  British.  It  is  beyond  the  province  of  history  to  say, 
whether  a  happier  train  of  events  could  have  been  started  had  the  initial 
exploit  of  Champlain  been  less  the  act  of  an  enemy.  Obviously  it  was  the 
natural  course  for  the  French  to  make  allies  of  those  aborigines  with  whom 
they  were  most  closely  in  contact.  Obviously,  too,  the  friend  of  the 
Algonquin  and  the  Huron  was  the  enemy  of  the  Iroquois.  What  might 
have  been  the  fortunes  of  the  French  in  America  had  their  great  explorer 
won  the  friendship  and  allegiance  of  the  Iroquois  confederacy  is  too  purely 
speculative  to  make  it  a  profitable  field  of  inquiry.  Happily  for  the 
record  of  human  endeavor,  the  next  period  in  the  story  of  the  Champlain 
valley  is  as  rich  in  high  and  worthy  motive  as  the  initial  expedition  of 
Samuel  Champlain  is  barren. 

TTiirty-two  years  elapse  before  we  come  to  the  second  episode  in 
the  history  of  Lake  Champlain.     The  discoverer  had  died  and  a  new 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  387 

generation  directed  the  precarious  fortunes  of  the  colony  to  which  he 
had  given  his  Hfe.  Now,  in  1642,  the  most  potent  force  in  all  of  New 
France  was  not  the  armored  white  man  with  a  gun,  but  the  cassocked 
priest  with  the  uplifted  cross.  In  their  zealous  mission  work  among  the 
Indians,  the  Jesuits  drew  no  line  against  Algonquin,  Huron,  or  Iroquois. 
They  often  seem  to  have  courted  service  where  the  danger  was  greatest ; 
and  small  though  the  net  results  may  sometimes  seem,  the  story  of  their 
work  stands  unsurpassed  as  a  record  of  pure  devotion  for  the  betterment 
of  humanity.  It  is  an  incident  in  this  long-continued  work  of  this  religious 
order  among  the  savages  that  gives  us  our  next  glimpse  of  Lake 
Champlain. 

In  August,  1642,  Isaac  Jogues,  with  Rene  Goupil  and  Guillaume 
Couture,  were  carried  as  captives  of  the  Iroquois  southward  through  Lake 
Champlain.  The  "  Relations  "  of  their  order  record  that  on  the  8th 
day  they  landed  on  a  small  island  near  the  southern  end  of  the  lake; 
thence  they  were  carried  to  the  Mohawk  towns  to  the  southward.  Goupil 
was  murdered;  Couture  was  taken  back  through  Lake  Champlain  to 
Three  Rivers,  and  Jogues  finally  made  his  way,  with  the  aid  of  the  Dutch 
at  Manhattan,  to  France. 

Two  years  later,  in  the  spring  of  1644,  the  Champlain  valley  again 
comes  into  history  and  again  merely  as  a  highway  along  which  Joseph 
Bressani,  an  Italian  Jesuit,  also  a  captive  of  the  Iroquois,  was  carried 
southward  to  the  Mohawk  towns.  After  detention  and  torture  he,  too, 
reached  the  Dutch  on  the  Hudson,  and  later  on  was  sent  to  France. 

Again  two  years  pass.  In  May,  1646,  we  find  Father  Jogues  once 
more  journeying  through  the  lake  to  the  land  of  the  Mohawks,  this  time 
not  as  a  captive  but  bent  on  a  peace  mission.  The  overtures  of  peace 
and  good-will  were  made  with  a  curious  blending  of  civilized  and  savage 
rites  and  the  priestly  messenger  was  permitted  to  return,  paddling  north- 
ward again  through  the  lake,  on  his  way  to  Quebec.  Scarcely  has  he 
reached  that  settlement  than  he  is  again  ordered  into  the  Mohawk 
country.  In  August  we  find  him  once  more  journeying  the  now  familiar 
route,  accompanied  not  only  by  the  necessary  Indians,  but  by  a  young 


388  State  of  New  York 

Frenchman,  Lalande.  It  was  to  be  his  last  voyage.  Emissary  of  peace 
though  he  was,  nothing  but  savage  hostility  awaited  him  among  the 
Mohawks.  In  October  both  he  and  his  French  companion  were 
murdered. 

First  the  warrior,  then  the  missionary.  The  third  episode  in  the  history 
of  the  lake  combines  both  of  these  forces.  Although  white  men  may 
have  passed  through  the  Champlain  valley  after  Father  Jogues,  we  find 
no  record  of  such  passage  or  indeed  any  allusions  to  the  Champlain 
region  for  twenty  years.  Then  comes  the  first  step  towards  its  occu- 
pation. This  was  the  founding  of  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  built  early  in  the  year 
1 666  by  Pierre  de  St.  Paul,  Sieur  de  la  Motte  Lussiere,  a  captain  of  the 
regiment  of  Carignan.  La  Motte  was  its  first  commandant  and  the  old 
chronicles  record  that  in  that  same  year  some  of  his  men  who  had  gone 
hunting  from  Fort  Ste.  Anne  were  surprised  by  the  Mohawks;  some  were 
taken  prisoners,  among  them  de  Leroles;  Captain  de  Traversy  and  the 
Sieur  de  Chazy  were  kilFed.  A  well-known  stream  which  empties  into 
the  lake  from  the  west  bears  to  this  day  the  name  of  this  soldier. 

When  Captain  Sorel  at  the  mouth  of  the  Richelieu  heard  of  the  disaster 
at  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  he  started  southward  with  300  men.  Before  reaching 
the  Mohawk  villages  he  met  an  "  embassy  "  of  the  Indians,  bringing  back 
the  captured  Frenchmen. 

In  order  to  strike  a  blow  which  should  be  decisive  and  win  for  the 
French  in  the  Champlain  valley  some  measure  of  immunity  against  the 
Iroquois  attacks,  de  Tracy,  in  September  of  this  year,  led  600  settlers 
with  1 00  Hurons  and  Algonquin  Indians  into  the  Champlain  valley.  It 
was  the  greatest  expedition  that  the  region  had  ever  seen.  On  September 
28th  they  made  a  rendezvous  at  Ste.  Anne,  resting  there  until  October  3d. 
It  is  recorded  that  the  expedition  as  it  paddled  away  to  the  southward 
in  bark  canoes,  carried  with  it  two  small  cannon  and  also  drums,  and  the 
sound  of  these  drums  proved  more  alarming  than  the  engines  of  war. 

The  story  of  that  little  campaign  need  not  be  detailed  here.  The  only 
part  of  it  that  belongs  to  Champlain  is  the  record  of  the  going  and  the 
returning.  On  that  return  a  storm  on  the  lake  caused  the  loss  of  two 
canoes  and  eight  persons,  among  them  the  Sieur  du  Luques.  a  lieutenant. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  389 

The  events  of  this  campaign  of  1666  brought  into  the  valley,  and  into 
the  history  of  Lake  Champlain,  de  Courcelle,  the  Governor  of  New 
France;  de  Tracy;  de  Salieres,  commander  of  the  famous  regiment 
that  bore  his  name;  the  Chevalier  de  Chaumont,  with  other  soldiers  of 
fame  and  worth.  With  them  came  also  the  Jesuits  Albanel  and  Raffeix, 
the  secular  priest,  Du  Bois,  and  the  Sulpitian  Dollier  de  Casson,  who  for 
a  time  was  chaplain  at  Fort  Anne,  and  whose  exertions  saved  the  garrison 
from  extermination  by  disease.  The  year  following  (1667)  we  find  at 
Fort  Ste.  Anne  Father  Fremin,  on  his  way  to  the  Mohawk  country,  and 
with  him  Fathers  Pierron  and  Bruyas,  with  Charles  Boquet  and  Francois 
Poisson.  Most  notable  of  all  was  the  visit,  in  May,  1 668,  of  Monseig- 
neur  Laval,  at  that  time  Vicar  Apostolic  with  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Petrea, 
later  the  first  Bishop  of  Quebec,  whose  jurisdiction  extended  over  all  the 
country  that  to-day  forms  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

In  December,  1666,  yet  another  expedition  of  similar  character  and 
purpose,  passed  back  and  forth  on  the  ice  of  the  frozen  lake. 

The  nomenclature  of  the  lake  offers  a  variety  of  names  by  which  it 
was  known  in  the  earlier  years.  An  aboriginal  name,  presumed  Mohawk, 
is  given  as  "  Ro-tsi-ich-ni,"  "  the  coward  spirit."  "  The  Iroquois  are 
said  to  have  originally  possessed  an  obscure  mythological  notion  of  these 
supreme  beings  or  spirits,  the  good  spirit,  the  bad  spirit,  and  the  coward 
spirit.  The  latter  inhabited  an  Island  in  Lake  Champlain,  where  it  died, 
and  from  this  is  derived  the  name  above  given."  Other  aboriginal  appel- 
lations are  "  Caniaderl  Guarunte,"  "  the  door  of  the  country,"  and 
"  Peta-ou-bough,"  "  a  double  lake  branching  into  two,"  alluding  to  both 
Lakes  Champlain  and  George.  In  some  of  the  early  reports  the  lake  is 
referred  to  as  Rogeo,  or  Regio,  probably  from  "  Re-gioch-me,"  the  name 
of  a  Mohawk  Indian  who  was  drowned  at  Split  Rock;  the  rock,  and 
sometimes  the  lake,  being  afterwards  called  among  the  Mohawks  by  his 
name.  The  rock  in  question  is  said  to  have  been  regarded  among  the 
Indians  as  marking  the  boundary  between  the  territory  of  the  Mohawks 
to  the  south  and  the  Algonqulns  to  the  north.  From  the  day  of  Cham- 
plain's  discovery,  the  lake  was  given  his  name  by  the  French,  who  also 


390  State  of  New  York 

long  continued  to  speak  of  it  as  "  lac  Hiroquoise"  or  "  Mer  des  Iroquois," 
lake  of  the  Iroquois.  After  the  drowning  of  Arent  van  Curler,  the  lake 
was  long  spoken  of  by  the  Mohawks,  and  to  some  extent  by  the  Dutch 
and  English,  as  Corlaer's  Lake. 

While  the  French,  though  at  long  intervals,  were  sending  their  expe- 
ditions through  Lake  Champlain  and  seeking  to  establish  themselves  on 
its  shores,  the  Dutch  and  English  to  the  southward  were  by  no  means 
oblivious  of  this  great  highway  or  of  the  movements  of  the  French.  Early 
in  1666  spies  sent  out  by  Governor  Winthrop  of  Connecticut  reached 
Lake  Champlain  —  which  the  Governor,  in  his  report,  calls  Lake  Hero- 
coies  —  and  reported  on  the  operations  of  the  French.  The  correspond- 
ence of  the  French  Governor,  De  Courcelle,  shows  that  as  early  as 
1666  emissaries  of  the  French  and  Dutch  passed  through  the  lake  on 
errands  for  their  respective  governments.  Such  an  emissary  was  Arent  van 
Curler,  or  Corlaer,  one  of  the  founders  of  Schenectady,  and  a  man  so 
highly  regarded  by  the  Indians  that  in  his  honor  they  gave  the  name  of 
Corlaer  to  the  Governors  of  New  York.  In  the  summer  of  1667  he 
set  out  from  New  York  with  one  Fontaine,  to  visit  the  Governor  of 
Canada,  but  was  overtaken  by  a  squall  on  Lake  Champlain  and  drowned 
near  Split  Rock  in  crossing  what  is  now  known  as  Peru  Bay,  Essex 
county,  N.  Y.,  but  was  in  earlier  years  called  Corlaer's  Bay. 

For  the  next  twenty  years  there  is  little  or  no  mention  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain in  either  the  French  or  English  colonial  records,  though  there  is  no 
doubt  that  war  parties,  or  traders,  especially  in  the  French  interest,  passed 
repeatedly  through  the  valley.  In  September,  1687,  Dyrick  van  der 
Heyden,  Nanning  Harmensen  and  Fredrych  Harmensen,  who  had  been 
taken  prisoners  by  the  French  on  Lake  Huron  and  carried  to  Quebec, 
made  their  escape  and  in  five  days  reached  Albany,  by  way  of  Lake 
Champlain.  Governor  Dongan  at  that  time  recognized  the  strategic 
importance  of  the  Champlain  valley,  and  proposed  to  build  forts  there. 

The  French  and  Indian  expedition  which  destroyed  Schenectady  in 
the  winter  of  1 690,  followed  Champlain's  route  of  1 609  to  Ticonderoga, 
marching  for  the  most  part  on  the  ice  of  the  frozen  lake.     On  the  return 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  391 

the  same  route  was  followed,  there  being  carried  back  thirty  prisoners, 
some  of  them  wounded,  much  plunder  and  fifty  horses,  all  but  sixteen 
of  which  were  killed  for  food. 

It  was  in  retaliation  for  this  stroke  that  Captain  John  Schuyler  led  a 
band  of  volunteers  into  Canada  in  August  of  1690,  Christians  and 
savages,  some  1 50  in  all.  They  passed  by  canoe  through  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  fell  upon  the  French  at  La  Prairie,  killing  and  capturing  about 
twenty-five  men  and  women,  then  making  a  rapid  retreat  southward 
through  the  lake,  stopping  at  Isle  La  Motte  and  other  points,  and  reach- 
ing Albany  on  August  30th.  Such  partisan  raids  were  not  a  very  noble 
form  of  warfare,  but  they  were  typical  of  the  strife  that  was  maintained 
for  many  years  between  the  rival  colonies. 

In  June  of  1691  Major  Peter  Schuyler  led  a  yet  larger  party  of 
*'  Christians  and  Indians  "  against  Canada.  By  the  middle  of  July, 
when  he  had  got  his  uncertain  forces  to  Ticonderoga,  it  numbered  260 
men  all  told.  Canoes  were  built  and  a  cautious  advance  made  northward 
through  the  lake.  On  the  26th  of  July,  reaching  Isle  La  Motte,  he 
reported  the  fort  there  as  "  several  years  deserted."  Schuyler's  band  fell 
upon  the  fort  and  village  of  La  Prairie,  losing,  by  the  official  report 
twenty-five  men,  and  killing  about  200  of  the  enemy.  Then  came  a 
hurried  retreat  of  the  victors  up  the  lake,  Albany  being  reached  on 
August  9th. 

In  January,  1 693,  a  band  of  Indians,  Canadians  and  soldiers,  led  by 
Matet,  Courtemanche  and  La  Nove,  left  Chambly  on  snow  shoes, 
marched  over  the  ice  of  Lake  Champlain,  thence  across  country  to  the 
Mohawk  towns,  where  they  killed,  made  captive,  and  burned.  Retrac- 
ing their  steps,  they  were  followed  by  Major  Peter  Schuyler,  with  a  body 
of  armed  settlers  and  Indians.  The  retreat  to  Montreal  was  made 
desperate  by  severe  weather  and  lack  of  food  rather  than  by  the  enemy. 
It  was  a  costly  affair  for  all  parties  with  substantial  profit  for  none. 

Late  in  1696,  a  war  party  of  French  and  Indians  appeared  near 
Albany,  burned  and  killed,  and  fell  back  to  Lake  Champlain.  "  TTiree 
and  twenty  Indians  and  three  Christians  "  were  sent  after  them  by 


392  State  of  New  York 

Governor  Fletcher.  The  pursuers  marched  with  all  speed  to  Lake 
Champlain  where  they  destroyed  the  enemy's  canoes,  then  fell  upon  the 
fugitives,  killed  seven,  and  took  their  scalps  back  to  Albany.  In  reporting 
this  typical  bit  of  international  strife  in  the  Champlain  valley.  Governor 
Fletcher  adds  significantly:  "  Tis  believed  the  rest  will  perish  in  the 
woods." 

It  was  Major  Peter  Schuyler  who,  in  May,  1 698,  with  Godfrey 
Dellius,  the  minister  of  Albany,  passed  through  Lake  Champlain  by 
express  canoes,  hastening  from  New  York  to  Quebec  with  copies  of  the 
treaty  of  Ryswick  in  French  and  Latin.  France  and  England  were  at 
peace,  but  their  representatives  in  America  were  long  in  adjusting  them- 
selves to  such  unwonted  condition.  Among  other  difficulties,  was  the 
matter  of  exchange  of  prisoners  held  by  the  Indians,  and  the  perpetual 
question  of  Iroquois  allegiance.  Regarding  these  matters,  in  August 
Governor  Bellomont  sent  Captain  John  Schuyler  with  letters  to  Fron- 
tenac,  the  French  Governor.  It  is  worth  noting  the  speed  with  which  a 
canoe  express  could  travel  in  those  days.  Captain  Schuyler,  on  Sep- 
tember 1st,  got  "  four  miles  into  Corlaer's  Lake."  "  On  the  2d,"  says 
his  report,  "  came  neere  to  Fort  Lamott,"  having  thus  paddled  prac- 
tically the  length  of  the  lake,  or  more  than  eighty  miles,  in  a  day. 

Whoever  traces  the  progress  of  this  century-long  strife  between  Canada 
and  New  York,  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  services  rendered 
to  this  latter  colony  by  members  of  the  Schuyler  family,  especially 
Captain  John  and  Major  Peter  Schuyler.  It  is  not  strange,  although 
wholly  without  foundation,  that  Beauhamois,  in  1 73 1 ,  should  report 
in  his  despatches  relating  to  Crown  Point :  "  The  King  of  England  has 
granted  Lake  Champlain  to  the  children  of  Sieur  Peter  Scult  [Schuyler], 
a  well-known  resident  of  Orange.  Therefore,  we  must  anticipate  the 
establishment  they  may  form  at  Crown  Point." 

Although  by  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  concluded  in  1713,  the  Cham- 
plain valley  was  a  part  of  the  neutral  territory  where  neither  the  French 
nor  the  English  had  a  right  to  establish  themselves,  yet  the  French  con- 
strued that  treaty  to  suit  their  own  ends  and  in  1  73 1 ,  a  time  of  absolute 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  393 

peace  between  France  and  England,  made  the  first  permanent  estab- 
lishment on  Lake  Champlain.  This  was  at  first  a  simple  stockaded  fort 
named  for  the  French  Secretary  of  State,  Frederic  Maurepas,  but  from 
its  establishment  known  in  French  annals  as  Fort  St.  Frederic.  To  the 
English,  by  a  curious  translation  of  the  Indian  name,  it  was  known  as 
Crown  Point. 

For  many  years  it  was  a  very  feeble  garrison.  Had  the  English 
colonies  been  able  to  join  in  any  plan  of  campaign  with  even  a  small 
force,  they  probably  could  have  wrested  Crown  Point  from  the  French. 
The  Canadian  Governor  seems  to  have  recognized  the  fact  that  they 
had  little  to  fear  from  their  English  rivals;  for  they  made  no  haste  to  put 
St.  Frederic  in  a  condition  for  defense.  As  late  as  I  747,  it  was  too  badly 
constructed  and  too  feebly  garrisoned  to  have  defended  itself  against 
any  resolute  attack,  but  feeble  as  it  was,  it  was  a  sign  of  greater  energy 
on  the  part  of  the  French  interests  than  the  English  could  command  in 
this  region. 

Many  a  colonial  governor  of  New  York  had  recommended  the  build- 
ing of  a  fort  on  Lake  Champlain.  As  early  as  1715  this  was  being  advo- 
cated by  Colonel  Hunter;  Governor  Cosby  in  his  time  wrote  at  length 
to  the  British  ministry  urging  the  same  proposition,  and  so  in  later  years 
did  Lieutenant-Governor  Clarke,  and  others.  Most  energetic  of  all  the 
colonial  governors  was  George  Clinton,  who,  in  1  745,  endeavored  to 
engage  the  other  English  colonies  in  America  in  a  joint  campaign  against 
the  French  at  this  outpost  in  the  Champlain  valley.  Governor  Clinton 
sent  up  from  New  York  to  Albany  cannon,  powder  and  ball,  and  other 
munitions  of  war,  but  he  wholly  failed  in  gaining  the  cooperation  that 
was  essential  to  an  effective  campaign.  A  little  later,  in  I  745,  we  find 
Governor  Clinton  still  urging  a  move  against  the  French  on  the  lake, 
while  General  Shirley  characteristically  opposes  it  as  impracticable. 

The  gradual  development  of  Fort  St.  Frederic  from  a  feeble  stock- 
aded post,  in  1  73 1 ,  to  a  stone  and  earthwork  fortress  of  great  strength, 
which  it  had  become  by  1  749,  can  be  traced  through  the  correspondence 
of  the  French  officials  of  that  period.  In  the  year  last  named,  when 
the  Swedish  traveler,  Peter  Kalm,  passed  through  Lake  Champlain,  he 


394  State  of  New  York 

found  the  fort  a  quadrangular  structure  with  high  thick  walls,  with  a 
tower,  everywhere  bombproof,  and  well  stored  with  cannon.  Houses 
of  stone  had  been  built  for  the  officers  and  soldiers;  there  was  also  a 
church  and  many  other  minor  constructions  within  the  fortifications  or 
under  the  protection  of  the  guns. 

A  still  earlier  glimpse  of  the  fort  is  found  in  the  narrative  of  the  Rev. 
Emanuel  Crespel,  a  recollect  of  the  Franciscan  Order,  who  was  sent  to 
Crown  Point  in  1  735,  arriving  there  November  1  7th. 

According  to  him,  the  Indian  custom  of  scalping  originated  at  this 
place.  He  says:  "  When  the  Indians  kill  any  one  on  their  expeditions 
it  is  their  custom  to  take  off  his  scalp,  which  they  bring  in  on  top  of  a 
pole,  to  prove  that  they  have  defeated  the  enemy.  This  ceremony,  or, 
if  you  like,  this  custom,  begun  on  this  point,  after  a  kind  of  combat  in 
which  many  Indians  lost  their  scalps,  gave  name  to  the  place  where  the 
battle  was  fought." 

Father  Crespel  gives  no  general  account  of  the  fortifications,  but 
clearly  shows  that  they  were  in  an  unfinished  condition  as  late  as  1  735. 
"  The  fort,"  he  says,  "  which  we  have  in  this  place,  bears  the  name  of 
St.  Frederic.  Its  situation  is  advantageous,  for  it  is  built  on  an  elevated 
point  about  fifteen  leagues  distant  northerly  from  the  extremity  of  the 
lake.  It  is  the  key  of  the  colony  on  that  side ;  that  is  to  say,  on  the  side 
of  the  EngRsh  who  are  only  twenty  or  thirty  leagues  off." 

Of  his  journey  through  Lake  Champlain  to  Crown  Point,  he  writes: 
"  The  day  of  my  departure  from  Chambly,  a  post  about  forty  leagues 
from  St.  Frederic,  we  were  obliged  to  sleep  out  and  during  the  night 
about  a  foot  of  snow  fell.  The  winter  continued  as  it  set  in  and  although 
we  were  lodged  we  did  not  suffer  less  than  if  we  were  in  the  open  fields. 
The  building  where  they  put  us  was  not  yet  finished  and  we  were  only 
partially  sheltered  from  the  rain,  and  the  walls,  which  were  twelve  feet 
thick,  having  been  finished  only  a  few  days,  added  still  more  to  our 
troubles  which  the  snow  and  rain  gave  us.  Many  of  our  soldiers  were 
seized  with  scurvy,  and  our  eyes  became  so  sore  that  we  were  afraid  of 
losing  our  sight  without  resource.     We  were  not  better  fed  than  lodged. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  395 

Scarcely  can  you  find  a  few  partridges  near  the  fort  and  to  eat  venison 
you  must  go  to  Lake  George  to  find  it,  and  that  is  seven  or  eight  leagues 
off.  We  finished  our  building  as  soon  as  the  season  would  permit,  but 
we  preferred  to  camp  out  in  summer  rather  than  remain  any  longer.  Yet 
we  were  not  more  at  ease,  for  the  fever  surprised  us  all  and  not  one  of  us 
could  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  the  country," 

Father  Crespel  was  recalled  to  France  and  left  Fort  St.  Frederic 
September  21,  I  736. 

The  conquest  of  Canada  ended  French  domination  in  the  Champlain 
valley.  The  last  four  years  of  their  supremacy  in  the  region  were 
crowded  with  events,  many  of  them  among  the  most  familiar  in  American 
history.  It  is  unnecessary  in  the  present  review  to  attempt  a  detailed 
narrative  of  those  campaigns.  From  1731  to  1755  the  only  stronghold 
of  the  French  on  the  lake  had  been  at  Crown  Point.  By  the  last-named 
year  it  had  been  made  worthy  the  name  of  fortress  and  was  strongly 
garrisoned.  It  was  from  Crown  Point  that  Dieskau  led  his  army  of 
700  regulars,  1,600  Canadians  and  700  Indians,  against  the  British  at 
Lake  George.  An  outcome  of  that  campaign  was  a  baronetcy  for 
William  Johnson,  but  the  English  operations  were  wholly  ineffective  so 
far  as  affecting  the  control  of  Lake  Champlain. 

In  the  following  year  the  French  fortified  Fort  Ticonderoga  and 
strengthened  themselves  at  Crown  Point,  but  there  were  no  military 
movements  of  importance  on  the  lake. 

In  1  757  the  greatest  army  which  France  had  sent  against  her  heredi- 
tary foe  in  America  gathered  in  July  at  Ticonderoga,  some  6,000  French 
and  Canadian  soldiery  and  1 ,700  Indians.  This  force  advanced  to  the 
siege  of  Fort  William  Henry,  which  capitulated  after  six  days,  and  then 
followed  that  massacre  of  the  i  0th  of  August,  which  forms  one  of  the  most 
horrible  records  of  atrocities  in  the  annals  of  our  State. 

Still  the  French  were  supreme  on  Champlain,  thanks  largely  to  the 
skill  and  devotion  of  Montcalm.  In  1  758  came  Abercromby  with  6,300 
regulars  and  9,000  provincials,  to  oppose  whom  Montcalm  held  at 
Ticonderoga  2,900  French  regulars  and  450  Canadians.     There  was  a 


396  State  of  New  York 

desperate  assault,  waste  of  life,  and  determined  defense,  and  Aber- 
cromby  retreated  with  the  remnant  of  his  splendid  army  to  take  his 
place  with  Johnson  and  Webb  in  the  list  of  the  unsuccessful. 

The  British  ministry  saw  that  a  more  decisive  blow  must  be  struck 
than  had  yet  been  attempted.  For  the  first  time  in  this  war  a  capable 
man  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  American  operations.  Amherst, 
supreme  in  command,  undertook  the  personal  direction  of  the  campaign 
against  the  French  in  the  Champlain  valley.  Again  the  British  armies 
move  northward  through  Lake  George  and  camp  under  the  guns  of 
Ticonderoga,  but  this  time,  instead  of  the  determined  defense  of  the  year 
before,  there  is  no  defense  at  all.  The  French  blew  up  Ticonderoga  and 
retreated  to  the  northward.  They  also  destroyed  Crown  Point  and  left 
Lake  Champlain  to  the  British.  Minor  exploits  there  were,  but  the 
decisive  step  had  been  taken,  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  had  at  last 
come  into  the  hands  of  the  British ;  and  British  they  remained  until  a  cer- 
tain May  morning  in  1 775  when  Ethan  Allen  and  his  little  band 
demanded  and  secured  their  surrender  in  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah 
and  the  Continental  Congress. 

For  practically  a  century  after  Champlain  entered  upon  the  lake,  its 
part  in  American  history  was  that  of  a  great  highway  for  war  parties. 
The  Peace  of  Ryswick  in  1 697  was  soon  followed  by  a  formal  treaty 
between  the  French  and  the  Five  Nations.  If,  for  a  time,  this  truce 
stayed  the  work  of  the  tomahawk  and  the  firebrand,  it  was  soon  for- 
gotten. From  I  702,  in  which  year  Queen  Anne's  war  was  begun,  for 
a  long  term  of  years,  the  New  York  and  New  England  colonies  were 
again  subject  to  the  attacks  of  marauding  parties  in  the  French  interest. 
Many  of  them  passed  through  Lake  Champlain,  by  fleets  of  canoes  in 
summer,  on  the  ice  in  winter.  Such  a  party  it  was  in  1  704  that  fell  upon 
defenseless  Deerfield.  It  had  followed  the  route  from  Canada  up  Lake 
Champlain  to  the  Winooski  river,  thence  ascending  that  river  and  crossing 
the  mountains  into  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut. 

The  attempts  which  the  English  made  to  dispute  possession  of  the 
Champlain  region  were  so  feeble  and  ineffective  that  it  is  not  strange 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  397 

that  the  French  came  to  regard  it  as  their  own,  not  merely  by  right  of 
discovery,  but  because  there  was  no  effective  opposition  to  their  occu- 
pancy. 

They  made  their  first  settlement  on  the  lake  in  1  73 1  at  Crown  Point. 
In  1696  New  York  had  made  a  great  land  grant  to  Dominie  Godfrey 
Dellius,  which  extended  up  the  east  side  of  Lake  Champlain  as  far  as 
the  present  village  of  Panton;  but  there  had  been  no  British  occupancy 
north  of  the  Hudson.  Towards  the  close  of  the  period  of  French  control, 
numerous  tracts  were  granted  in  the  French  interests  on  both  sides  of 
the  lake,  some  of  them  of  great  extent.  At  the  head  of  the  lake  were  the 
seigniories  of  Alainville  and  Hocquart,  the  former  reaching  to  Lake 
George,  the  latter,  on  the  east  of  Lake  Champlain,  overlapping  a  part  of 
the  Dellius  tract.  There  were  numerous  other  French  grants  on  both 
sides  of  the  lake,  dating  from  1  743  to  I  758.  Little  or  no  attempt  was 
made  to  occupy  them.  After  the  conquest  of  Canada,  in  1  760,  many 
tracts  of  the  Champlain  lands  were  parceled  out  by  the  British,  chiefly 
to  non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers,  and  ignoring  the  French  claim- 
ants. In  several  cases,  however,  the  French  claimants  urged  their  rights 
through  a  considerable  term  of  years.  Some  of  them  had  forfeited  their 
titles  by  non-compliance  with  conditions  of  the  grant;  others,  notably 
M.  Lotbiniere,  whose  grant  had  been  confiscated,  contended  against  the 
British,  though  in  the  end  without  success.  In  the  case  of  M.  Lot- 
biniere, the  officials  at  Whitehall,  as  late  as  February  13,  1776,  could 
find  no  better  solution  than  to  recommend  that  King  George  should  direct 
the  Governor  of  Quebec  to  make  to  the  French  claimant  a  new  grant  of 
other  lands  in  Canada.  By  this  time,  however,  the  tenure  of  British 
subjects  in  the  Champlain  valley  had  become  precarious,  and  before 
long  they  were  all  destined  to  be  dispossessed  of  their  holdings  and  routed 
from  whatever  slight  foothold  they  may  have  gained.  All  vested  interests 
in  the  region  were  readjusted  by  the  war  which  gave  the  American 
colonies  their  independence. 

The  varied  story  of  conflicting  claims  does  not  end,  however,  with 
the  supremacy  of  American  control  in  the  valley.    There  is  no  more  strik- 


398  State  of  New  York 

ing  chapter  in  the  whole  history  of  Lake  Champlain  than  that  which 
relates  to  the  contest  between  New  York  and  New  Hampshire  over  the 
lands  granted  by  each  and  claimed  by  each  even  to  the  point  of  border 
warfare.  The  claims  which  New  Hampshire  and  New  York  both  urged 
finally  disappeared  with  the  creation  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  the  first 
State  to  be  added  to  the  Union  of  the  original  thirteen. 

Immediately  following  the  war  of  1812-14  a  military  post  was  estab- 
lished at  Plattsburgh,  the  Barracks  being  used,  during  the  Civil  War, 
as  a  rendezvous  for  the  Sixteenth,  Ninety-sixth  and  One  Hundred  and 
Eighteenth  New  York  Regiments.  In  1890  it  was  made  a  regimental 
post,  and  additional  land  was  acquired,  including  Crab  Island,  lying 
southeast  of  the  Bcirracks  and  about  one  mile  from  the  main  land.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  Battle  of  Plattsburgh,  a  hospital  was  established  on 
the  island,  and  the  sailors  killed  in  the  battle  were  buried  there.  TTie 
graves  remained  unmarked  until  a  few  years  ago.  The  officers  of  the 
Champlain  Assembly  urged  that  the  island  be  converted  into  a  National 
Military  Park,  to  be  known  as  the  Macdonough  National  Military  Park. 
They  were  joined  by  other  patriotic  societies,  and  an  appropriation  was 
secured  for  the  improvement  of  the  grounds  and  the  erection  of  a  monu- 
ment, as  shown  elsewhere  herein.  Bronze  tablets  are  placed  on  each 
side  of  the  pedestal,  with  inscriptions  as  follows: 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  399 


{East  Side) 

NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT 

OFF 

VALCOUR  AND  SCHUYLER  ISLAND 

LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 

OCT.   11th  and   13th,   1776 

AMERICAN  LOSS 

About  90. 


(Norlh  Side) 

BATTLE  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 
(NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT) 
SEPT.  II.  1814 
AMERICAN  SHIPS  ENGAGED 
Ship  SARATOGA 
Ship  BIG  EAGLE 
Schooner  TICONDEROGA 
Sloop  PREBLE 
GUN  -  BOATS 
BORER  CENTIPEDE 

WILMER  NETTLE 

ALLEN  VIPER 

BURROWS  LUDLOW 

ALWYN  BALLAD 

AMERICAN  LOSS 
52  Killed  58  Wounded 

Commodore  THOMAS  McDONOUGH 
Commanding  American  Fleet. 


400  State  of  New  York 


(West  Side) 

TO  THE  MEMORY 

OF  THE 

OFFICERS.  SOLDIERS  and  SAILORS 

OF  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY  &  NAVY 

WHO  WERE  KILLED 

AT  THE 

BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH.  N.  Y. 

SEPT.   il.   1814 

AND 

BATTLE  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN  AND 

NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT 

SEPT.   11.   1814 

SECOND  WAR  WITH  GREAT  BRITAIN. 


(South  Side) 

BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH 

LAND  ENGAGEMENT 

SEPT.   II,   1814 

AMERICAN  LOSS 

37  Killed,  65   Wounded.  20  Missing. 

BRIGADIER  GENERAL 

ALEXANDER  McCOMB.  Commanding 

THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

ON  SEPTEMBER   11,   1814 

THE  BRITISH  FORCES  MADE  A  COMBINED 

LAND  AND  NAVAL  ATTACK 

UPON  THE  AMERICAN  ARMY 

STATIONED  AT  PLATTSBURGH 

AND  THE  AMERICAN  SQUADRON 

IN  PLATTSBURGH  BAY.  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN. 

BUT  WERE  REPULSED.  RESULTING 

IN  ONE  OF  THE  MOST 

DECISIVE  AMERICAN  LAND 

AND  NAVAL  VICTORIES  OF  THE 

WAR. 


WHAT  EARLY  TRAVELERS  SAID  OF  THE 
CHAMPLAIN  VALLEY 

401 


27 


WHAT  EARLY  TRAVELERS  SAID  OF  THE 

CHAMPLAIN  VALLEY 

By  Frank  H.  Severance 

ALLUSION  HAS  BEEN  MADE  in  preceding  pages  to  the  narrative  of 
Peter  Kalm,  probably  the  earliest  traveler  to  visit  Lake  Champlain 
and  record  his  impressions  in  a  book.  Kalm's  visit  was  excep- 
tional. It  was  not  for  many  years  that  another  tourist  came  to  pass 
through  the  Champlain  region. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  there  began  to  come  into 
the  region  travelers  who  visited  it  with  a  view  to  writing  their  impressions. 
From  about  1800  to  the  middle  of  the  Nineteenth  century  there  is 
abundant  literature,  chiefly  the  work  of  English  travelers  who  passed 
through  the  Champlain  valley  in  the  course  of  their  American  journeys. 
What  these  visitors  had  to  say  of  the  region  is  to-day  of  curious  interest 
and  is  not  without  value  to  the  student  of  history;  for  although  often 
misinformed,  and  recording  the  passing  impressions  of  the  moment,  they 
nevertheless  made  note  of  conditions  and  incidents  which  typify  the 
life  of  the  time  better  than  can  be  found  expressed  in  more  studied 
writings. 

It  is  worth  while  to  make  a  review  of  some  of  these  narratives.  One 
of  the  earliest  travelers  to  penetrate  to  the  Champlain  country,  and  one 
of  the  best  observers  among  the  foreign  visitors  to  America,  was  Isaac 
Weld.  He  was  an  English  artist  of  ability  who  traveled  extensively 
through  the  United  States  and  Canada  in  the  years  1  795,  '96  and  '97. 
His  account  of  these  travels,  first  published  in  London  in  1  799,  became  at 
once  a  popular  book.  It  went  through  many  editions  and  was  trans- 
lated into  several  languages,  there  being  extant  two  distinct  translations 
into  German.  He  illustrated  his  narrative  with  drawings  of  a  high  order 
of  merit.  It  was  in  July,  1  796,  that  he  journeyed  through  the  valley  of 
the  upper  Hudson  to  Skenesborough,  where  he  hired  a  small  boat  of 

403 


404  State  of  New  York 

about  ten  tons  for  the  voyage  on  Lake  Champlain.  He  tells,  with 
interesting  detail,  of  his  difficult  experience  in  getting  under  way,  and 
draws  a  graphic  picture  of  his  entertainment  at  the  home  of  a  frontiersman 
of  Vermont,  who  extended  to  him  a  rude  hospitality.  "  The  people  at 
the  American  farm  houses,"  he  says,  "  will  cheerfully  lie  three  in  a  bed 
rather  than  suffer  a  stranger  to  go  away  who  comes  to  seek  for  a  lodging." 
Reaching  Ticonderoga  after  a  stormy  passage  of  the  lake,  he  writes  of 
it :  "  The  only  dwelling  here  is  a  tavern,  which  is  a  large  house  built  of 
stone."  Although  the  conditions  were  rude  and  poor  and  there  were 
numerous  guests,  our  EngUsh  artist  still  experienced  marked  hospitality, 
of  which  he  writes  at  length.  "  The  old  fort,"  he  records,  "  and  barracks 
of  Ticonderoga  are  on  the  top  of  a  rising  ground  just  behind  the  tavern ; 
they  are  quite  in  ruins  and  it  is  not  likely  they  will  ever  be  rebuilt,  for 
the  situation  is  very  insecure,  being  commanded  by  a  lofty  hill  called 
Mount  Defiance." 

Sailing  next  day  to  Crown  Point,  Weld  found  there  nothing  but  a 
heap  of  ruins.  His  record  of  the  condition  of  these  famous  forts  at 
so  early  a  period  is  valuable.  "  The  vaults,"  he  writes,  "  which  were 
bomb  proof,  have  been  demolished  for  the  sake  of  the  bricks  for  build- 
ing chimneys.  At  the  south  side  alone  the  ditches  remain  perfect;  they 
are  wide  and  deep  and  cut  through  immense  rocks  of  limestone,  and  from 
being  overgrown  towards  the  top  with  different  kinds  of  shrubs  have  a 
grand  and  picturesque  appearance.  The  view  from  this  spot  of  the 
fort  and  the  old  buildings  in  it  overgrown  with  ivy,  of  the  lake  and  of  the 
distant  mountains  beyond  it,  is  indeed  altogether  very  fine.  The  fort 
and  seven  hundred  acres  of  good  cleared  land  adjoining  to  it  are  the 
property  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  are  leased  out  at  the  rate  of 
$150,  equal  to  £33  10s.  sterling  per  annum,  which  is  appropriated  for 
the  use  of  a  college.  The  farmer  who  rented  it  told  us  he  principally 
made  use  of  the  land  for  raising  cattle.  These,  in  the  winter,  when  the 
lake  was  frozen,  he  drove  over  the  ice  to  Albany,  and  there  disposed  of." 

Our  English  artist  noted  that  Crown  Point  was  the  most  advantageous 
spot  on  Lake  Champlain  for  a  military  post.    Across  the  lake,  at  Chimney 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  405 

Point,  on  the  date  of  his  visit,  there  were  a  few  houses  and  a  tavern. 
"  While  we  staid  there,"  he  continues,  "  we  were  very  agreeably  sur- 
prised for  the  first  time  with  the  sight  of  a  large  birch  canoe  on  the  lake, 
navigated  by  two  or  three  Indians  in  the  dresses  of  their  nation." 

Weld  continues  with  a  long  account  of  these  Indians  and  their  trading 
and  village  near  the  lake.  He  voyaged  northward  through  the  lake 
and  his  artistic  temperament  was  much  impressed  by  the  beauty  of  the 
shores.    The  following  episode  illustrates  his  experiences : 

The  scenery  along  various  parts  of  the  lake  is  extremely  grand  and  picturesque, 
particularly  beyond  Crown  Point;  the  shores  are  there  beautifully  ornamented  with 
hanging  woods  and  rocks,  and  the  mountains  on  the  western  side  rise  up  in  ranges 
one  behind  the  other  in  the  most  magnificent  manner.  It  was  one  of  the  finest  even- 
ings possible  that  we  passed  along  this  part  of  the  lake,  and  the  sun  setting  in  all 
his  glory  behind  the  mountains,  spread  the  richest  tints  over  every  part  of  the 
prospect;  the  moon  also  appearing  nearly  in  the  full,  shortly  after  the  day  had  closed, 
afforded  us  an  opportunity  of  beholding  the  surrounding  scenery  in  fresh  though 
less  briUiant  colours.  Our  little  bark  was  now  gliding  smoothly  along,  whilst 
every  one  of  us  remained  wrapt  up  in  silent  contemplation  of  the  solenm  scene, 
when  suddenly  she  struck  upon  one  of  the  shelving  rocks:  nothing  but  hurry  and 
confusion  was  now  visible  on  board,  every  one  lending  his  assistance;  however,  at 
last,  with  some  difficulty,  we  got  her  off;  but  in  a  minute  she  struck  a  second  time; 
at  last  she  stuck  so  fast  that  for  a  short  time  we  despaired  of  being  able  to  move 
her.  At  the  end  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  however,  we  again  fortunately  got  her 
into  deep  water.  We  had  before  suspected  that  our  boatman  did  not  know  a  great 
deal  about  the  navigation  of  the  lake,  and  on  questioning  him  now,  it  came  out, 
that  he  had  been  a  cobbler  all  his  life,  till  within  the  last  nine  months,  when  he 
thought  proper  to  change  his  business,  and  turn  sailor.  All  the  knowledge  he  had 
of  the  shores  of  the  lake  was  what  he  had  picked  up  during  that  time,  as  he  sailed 
straight  backward  and  forward  between  St.  John's  and  Skenesborough.  On  the 
present  occasion  he  had  mistaken  one  bay  for  another,  and  had  the  waves  been 
as  high  as  they  sometimes  are,  the  boat  would  inevitably  have  been  dashed  to 
pieces. 

On  leaving  Lake  Champlain  on  the  Canadian  boundary.  Weld  and 
his  companions  were  stopped  by  a  British  armed  brig  of  twenty  guns, 
stationed  in  the  Richelieu  river  for  the  purpose  of  examining  all  boats 
passing  up  or  down  the  lake.    This  rigid  surveillance  was  maintained  at 


406  State  of  New  York 

this  time  because  of  the  giving  up  by  the  British  of  the  several  garrisons 
which  they  had  so  long  held  at  various  points  on  the  frontier.  Soon  after 
the  surrender  of  the  posts  to  the  United  States,  the  brig  was  removed 
from  this  police  duty  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain. 

Weld  and  his  companions  had  various  adventures  in  this  part  of  their 
journey.  Their  boat  was  driven  ashore  on  Isle  aux  Noix,  but  finally 
getting  off,  they  reached  St.  John's,  1  50  miles  from  Skenesborough. 

Weld's  record,  because  of  its  early  date  and  the  graphic  fulness  of 
its  detail,  is  invaluable.  We  have  no  other  narrative  of  the  period  that 
so  well  pictures  conditions  on  Lake  Champlain.  It  may  be  noted  in 
this  connection  that  more  than  a  half  century  after  Weld's  visit,  his 
half-brother,  Charles  Richard  Weld,  an  English  barrister-at-law,  passed 
through  Lake  Champlain  in  the  course  of  an  American  tour.  His  visit 
was  at  the  time  of  great  forest  fires  in  Northern  New  York,  and  in  the 
book  which  he  afterwards  published  in  London  he  has  given  a  most  vivid 
account  of  the  strange  conditions  which  he  experienced  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain when  everything  was  shrouded  in  a  pall  of  smoke. 

A  decade  after  Weld,  Timothy  Dwight,  the  famous  early  president 
of  Yale  College,  made  an  extensive  tour  through  New  England,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  visited  Lake  Champlain.  In  October,  1806,  he 
arrived  at  Chimney  Point  and  crossed  the  valley  to  Crown  Point,  which 
he  inspected  thoroughly.  His  four-volume  work  of  *'  Travels  in  New 
England  and  New  York  "  contains  a  lengthy  account  of  his  observations 
at  Crown  Point.  He  found  it,  notwithstanding  its  beautiful  prospect,  "  a 
gloomy,  melancholy  spot.  The  houses  are  almost  mere  hovels,  and  the  few 
beggared  inhabitants  appear  like  outcasts  from  human  society.  Rags 
and  tattered  garments,  washed  and  hung  out  to  dry,  strongly  indicated 
their  miserable  circumstances.  Not  a  cheerful  object,  beside  the  northern 
prospect  of  the  lake,  and  a  little  verdure  thinly  dispersed,  met  the  eye. 
A  great  part  of  the  surface  was  overspread  by  ruined  fortresses;  the 
relics  of  war  and  destruction,  and  the  monuments  of  perfidy,  ambition 
and  cruelty.  The  opposite  shore  is  to  the  eye  wild  and  dreary.  A 
forest,  consisting  in  a  great  measure  of  pines,  burned  and  blasted,  spread 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  407 

beyond  the  sight.  A  decayed  and  dismal  house  on  Chimney  Point  was 
the  only  human  habitation  in  view  upon  that  shore.  Beyond  the  forest 
the  Green  Mountains  in  lofty  piles  of  grandeur;  inspiring  emotions  remote 
from  cheerfulness,  and  in  such  a  scene  harmonizmg  only  with  melancholy 
solemnity.  On  the  west,  a  chain  of  hills,  unusually  ragged  and  inhospit- 
able, ascends  immediately  from  the  lake,  forbidding,  except  in  now  and 
then  a  solitary  spot,  the  settlement  of  man.  From  their  wild  and  shaggy 
recesses  the  traveler  is  warned  to  expect  the  approach  of  the  wolf  and 
the  bear,  and  from  their  rugged  cliffs,  projecting  to  the  water's  edge,  the 
boatman  is  taught  to  look  for  shipwreck  and  destruction. 

"  The  property  of  this  peninsula  is  in  Columbia  College.  Whether 
the  pecuniary  profits  of  the  Point  will  ever  reach  the  college,  I  doubt; 
and  it  also  appears  doubtful  whether  the  literature  of  the  college  will 
ever  reach  the  Point." 

At  the  time  of  Dr.  Dwlght's  visit  there  were  more  than  thirty  vessels, 
from  thirty  to  seventy  tons  each,  employed  on  the  lake.  Furs  and  peltries 
were  still  important  items  of  the  freight. 

The  next  really  notable  visitor  whose  Champlain  sojourn  is  recorded 
in  our  literature,  was  President  James  Monroe,  who  passed  through  the 
valley  in  the  course  of  his  famous  tour  through  the  Northern  States  in 
1817.  The  President  first  saw  the  lake  at  Burlington,  which  he  reached 
July  23d  of  the  year  named.  The  citizens  gave  him  a  handsome  escort 
into  town  and  during  his  visit  gathered  the  whole  countryside  to  welcome 
him  and  to  see  and  hear  him.  Leaving  Burlington,  President  Monroe 
traveled  by  boat  to  Vergennes,  where  he  examined  the  iron  works.  Near 
here  was  the  place  where  Macdonough's  fleet  had  been  built.  The  War 
of  1812  was  still  so  recent  that  localities  and  people  associated  with 
them  held  first  place  in  the  thoughts  of  the  public.  Much  was  said  on 
this  tour  of  Monroe  regarding  Macdonough's  famous  victory.  At  Bur- 
lington it  was  Daniel  Farrand  who  made  the  welcoming  address,  full  of 
reminiscences  of  the  war  lately  ended,  especially  of  the  memorable  1  I  th 
of  September,  1814.  President  Monroe  arrived  at  Plattsburgh  upon 
the  25th  and  was  shown  the  various  points  associated  with  the  great 


408  State  of  New  York 

battle.  He  continued  his  tour  through  Northern  New  York  to  Ogdens- 
burgh.  He  was  one  of  the  few  Americans  whose  travels  in  their  own 
country  at  this  time  are  recorded  in  books.  By  far  the  greater  number 
of  narratives  descriptive  of  our  country  in  the  early  decades  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  are  from  the  pens  of  Englishmen  or  women.  Naturally, 
they  wrote  from  their  own  point  of  view,  tinctured  with  the  prejudices 
that  had  survived  two  wars.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  while  some  of 
these  visiting  foreigners  wrote  with  undisguised  prejudice  against  the 
Americans  and  their  government,  many  others  appear  to  have  striven  for 
a  more  cordial  and  friendly  attitude.  The  result  in  both  cases  is  some- 
times unjust  and  untrue  to  conditions;  but  we  owe  it  to  this  class  of 
literature  as  a  whole  that  we  are  able  to-day  to  make  a  survey  of  American 
manners  and  customs,  seeing  ourselves  as  others  saw  us,  infinitely  better 
than  would  be  the  case  had  we  to  rely  wholly  upon  the  reports  of  our 
own  people.  While  these  observations  are  true  in  a  general  sense,  they 
are  none  the  less  true  as  applied  to  a  particular  region  such  as  that  here 
under  notice,  or  to  the  inhabitants  of  it  at  a  given  time. 

Two  years  after  President  Monroe's  tour  there  passed  through  the 
Champlain  valley  an  exceptionally  brilliant  English  woman.  Miss 
Frances  Wright,  whose  "  View  of  Society  and  Manners  in  America," 
published  anonymously  in  1 82 1 ,  proved  a  theme  for  discussion  and  dis- 
pute for  many  years.  This  work  contains  a  most  interesting  chapter 
dated  at  Plattsburgh  in  September,  1819.  Miss  Wright  tells  at  great 
length  the  story  of  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh.  She  also  records  one  of 
the  early  steamboat  tragedies  on  Lake  Champlain,  the  destruction  by  fire 
of  the  famous  Phoenix,  which  disaster  had  occurred  but  a  few  days 
before  her  visit  to  the  lake.  She  writes  with  great  enthusiasm  of  the 
beauty  of  the  mountain  scenery,  and  especially  of  Burlington  and  its 
environment.  None  who  would  be  familiar  wnth  the  literature  of  the 
Champlain  region  can  afford  to  ignore  her  picturesque  pages.  Mention 
may  be  made  here  of  the  observations  of  Adam  Hodgson  who  visited 
Lake  Champlain  in  1 820  and  published  his  "  Letters  from  North 
America  "  in  London  in  1 824.    He  reached  Burlington  by  steamer  from 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  409 

the  north  and  left  it  by  stage  for  Boston  after  a  hurried  visit  to  Ticon- 
deroga  and  Crown  Point.  His  pages  are  the  average  tourist's  narrative 
with  no  claim  for  special  attention. 

A  unique  little  book  of  this  period  which  belongs  to  Champlain  litera- 
ture is  entitled  "A  Pedestrian  Tour  of  Two  Thousand  and  Three  Hun- 
dred Miles  in  North  America."  This  remarkable  journey  was  made  in 
the  autumn  of  1 82 1  by  P.  Stansbury.  Although  he  was  a  pedestrian  of 
uncommon  vigor,  he  did  not  confine  himself  to  that  mode  of  travel.  Tour- 
ing from  Quebec  to  Boston  in  October,  mostly  by  boat,  he  approached 
Lake  Champlain  from  the  north.  He  describes  the  old  fort  at  Chambly 
and  what  he  calls  "  the  important  but  ill-built  town  of  St.  John's." 
Thence  he  proceeded  to  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  making  notes  of  scenery 
and  historical  associations.  He  then  took  an  unusual  course  across  the 
Missisquoi  bay,  regarding  which  and  the  little  town  of  Phillipsburgh  he 
writes  at  some  length.  Stansbury's  book,  published  in  New  York  in 
1820,  is  notable  for  its  quaint  woodcuts,  which  were  engraved  by  A. 
Anderson,  the  first  American  wood  engraver. 

The  year  after  Stansbury's  visit,  another  American,  a  Mr.  Matthews, 
toured  through  the  region,  and  in  1823  published,  anonymously,  a  story 
of  his  journeys  under  the  title  "A  Summer  Month,  or  Recollections  of 
a  Visit  to  the  Falls  of  Niagara,"  etc.  His  wanderings  brought  him  to 
Lake  Champlain,  as  had  been  the  case  with  Stansbury,  from  the  north. 
At  Isle  aux  Noix  he  found  many  British  vessels  "  drawn  up  and  put 
under  cover  in  dock,  and  others  rem2iin  unfinished,  which  were  commenced 
during  the  late  war."  He  visited  Plattsburgh,  which,  he  says,  contains 
"  a  courthouse,  prison  and  about  one  hundred  dwellings."  Like  all 
American  tourists  of  that  early  day,  he  indulges  at  length  in  reflections 
on  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh  and  the  gallantry  of  Macdonough.  Cross- 
ing the  lake,  he  makes  the  usual  exclamations  over  the  beauty  of  Bur- 
lington and  its  bay.  "  The  college,"  he  says,  "  elevated  upwards  of  three 
hundred  feet,  is  at  the  top  of  the  eminence,  and  overlooks  the  town.  It 
is  a  brick  building,  four  stories  high,  founded  in  the  year  1 791 ,  and  there 
are  educated  annually  above  forty  students.     Ascending  gradually  from 


410  State  of  New  York 

the  shore,  the  neat  white  edifices,  so  particularly  attractive  of  the  notice 
of  a  stranger,  in  the  New  England  States,  imposes  a  beauteous  contrast, 
with  the  surrounding  scenery."  He  continues  in  this  peculiar  strain  to 
picture  the  beauties  of  Burlington  at  length.  The  town  at  this  time,  he 
says,  "  contains  above  two  hundred  houses  and  stores,  besides  two 
churches,  the  bank,  court-house,  and  gaol.  There  is  a  fine,  open  square 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  town,  in  which  are  a  few  elegant  buildings,  tavern, 
etc.  This  same  square  is  still  a  pleasant  spot  in  Burlington.  Later  in 
his  tour  he  visited  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga,  proceeding  thence  to 
Whitehall,  en  route  for  Albany.  His  pages  are  full  of  incident  and 
minute  description  of  the  country  as  he  saw  it. 

Another  tourist  in  this  same  year  was  Captain  Blane,  an  English  officer 
whose  "  Excursion  through  the  United  States  and  Canada,"  published 
in  1 824,  appeared  as  having  been  written  by  "An  English  Gentleman." 
Like  his  predecessor,  he  reached  the  lake  by  way  of  its  outlet,  touching 
at  Plattsburgh,  "  a  place,"  he  says,  "  that  excites  recollections  of  rather 
an  unpleasant  kind  in  the  mind  of  an  Englishman;  "  proceeding  to 
Burlington,  where  the  prospect  of  the  bay  reminded  him  of  the  Lake  of 
Geneva  as  seen  from  Lausanne.  "  Indeed,"  he  adds,  *'  as  is  the  case 
with  the  Alps,  the  fine  and  picturesque  chain  of  the  Alleghanies  increases 
in  size  towards  the  upper  extremity  of  the  lake  and  decreases  towards  the 
lower  extremity.  I  shall,  however,  destroy  the  sublimity  of  this  Alpine 
comparison,  if  I  remark,  that  on  looking  up  Lake  Champlain  there  is 
an  island,  which  from  its  small  size  and  conical  shape  has  the  appearance 
of  a  floating  hay-cock." 

The  chief  value  of  Captain  Blane's  notes  on  the  region  lies  in  his 
discussion  of  Sir  George  Prevost's  defeat  and  retreat  at  Plattsburgh. 
"  Never,  perhaps,"  he  says,  "  was  there  exhibited  a  greater  instance  of 
military  incapacity  and  mismanagement,  than  in  this  expedition." 

In  the  memorable  year  of  1 825  came  General  Lafayette.  He  reached 
Burlington  on  June  28th,  where  he  was  given  a  most  enthusiastic  recep- 
tion, with  the  usual  accompaniment  of  speeches  and  a  dinner.  He  then 
shared  in  the  laying  of  a  cornerstone  of  a  new  building  for  the  college. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  411 

now  the  University  of  Vermont.  In  the  narrative  of  Lafayette's  Ameri- 
can travels,  written  by  his  secretary,  Mons.  A.  Levasseur,  it  is  recorded: 
"  The  ceremony  of  laying  the  cornerstone  was  performed  in  the  presence 
of  the  students  of  the  college,  their  professors,  the  magistrates  of  the 
town,  and  a  great  number  of  citizens,  who  joyfully  saw  the  restoration 
and  aggrandizement  of  an  establishment  destined  daily  to  insure  more  and 
more  the  maintenance  of  their  wise  institutions,  by  instructing  and  enlight- 
ening their  young  generations.  Mr.  Willard  Preston,  president  of  the 
institution,  thanked  General  Lafayette  for  the  proof  of  interest  he  had 
just  given  in  the  education  of  the  youth  of  Vermont;  and  we  went  to 
the  house  of  Governor  Van  Ness,  whose  charming  residence  and  gardens, 
arranged  with  exquisite  taste,  were  still  further  delightfully  embellished 
by  a  large  assemblage  of  ladies,  who,  during  the  whole  evening,  disputed 
for  the  pleasure  of  approaching  the  guest  of  the  nation,  to  express  to  him 
their  friendly  sentiments,  and  their  gratitude  for  the  services  he  had 
rendered  their  country  and  their  fathers :  for  in  Vermont,  as  in  all  the  rest 
of  the  Union,  the  females  are  not  strangers  either  to  the  principles  of  the 
government,  or  to  the  obligations  which  patriotism  confers." 

The  author-secretary  was  obviously  very  much  impressed,  for  he 
continues  in  this  strain  at  length.  General  Lafayette  and  escort  left  Bur- 
lington about  midnight  on  the  two  famous  old  steamboats,  the  Phoenix  and 
the  Congress.  Both  were  illuminated  and  decorated  with  flags  and 
transparencies,  and  as  they  steamed  out  of  the  bay  the  people  bade  him 
good-bye  with  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns. 

No  book-writing  tourist  is  known  to  have  visited  Lake  Champlain  the 
year  after  Lafayette,  but  in  1 827  came  at  least  two  British  authors.  One 
of  them,  signing  himself  "A  British  Subject,"  published  a  thin  volume 
of  his  American  wanderings,  in  which  he  describes  his  visit  to  the  Cham- 
plain region  in  July  of  the  year  named.  He  also  came  by  steamboat  from 
Canada  into  the  lake,  an  effective  and  interesting  approach  which  the 
modern  tourist  rarely  has  an  opportunity  to  make.  Our  Briton  records 
that  for  his  passage  through  the  lake,  from  St.  John's  to  Whitehall,  a 
trip  requiring  twenty-four  hours,  he  was  charged  25   shillings,  which 


412  State  of  New  York 

covered  the  cost  of  transportation,  berth  and  three  meals.  He  speaks  of 
the  service  as  excellent,  a  note  of  praise  often  lacking  in  the  comments  of 
British  visitors.  Besides  the  usual  description  of  the  scenes  as  they 
unfolded  on  his  journey  southward,  he  took  note  of  the  influx  of  emigrants 
by  that  route  from  Canada.  "  The  boat,"  he  says,  "  was  crammed  with 
them,"  and  he  was  told  that  such  was  usually  the  case,  so  many  of  the 
poor,  especially  the  Irish,  were  at  that  time  leaving  Canada  for  New 
York,  where  they  sought  to  re-embark  for  Ireland.  Of  the  events  of 
the  War  of  1812,  and  especially  of  Sir  George  Prevost,  our  author 
writes  at  length  and  in  a  less  partisan  way  than  was  to  be  expected  from 
an  Englishman  at  that  time.  Of  the  prospect  at  the  southern  end  of  the 
lake,  he  grows  enthusiastic.  "  It  was,"  he  says,  "  the  most  lovely  scene 
I  had  witnessed  on  my  tour." 

At  about  the  same  time  of  this  anonymous  author's  visit,  came  Captain 
Basil  Hall  of  the  British  Royal  Navy,  whose  three-volume  work, 
"  Travels  in  North  America,"  published  at  Edinburgh  in  1 829,  is  one 
of  the  best  known,  and  in  its  way  most  useful  records  of  American  institu- 
tions at  that  period.  Captain  Hall  noted  the  same  tide  of  emigration 
that  his  compatriots  had.  Coming  to  Lake  Champlain  also  from  the 
north,  September  7th,  "  our  route,"  he  says,  "  lay  along  Lake  Champlain 
in  a  very  crowded  steamboat,  filled  with  tourists  and  a  large  party  of 
Irish  emigrants,  who,  for  reasons  best  known  to  themselves,  had  chosen  not 
to  settle  in  the  Canadas  but  to  wander  farther  south  in  quest  of  fortune." 
The  Captain's  sympathies  were  aroused  by  the  condition  of  some  of 
these  emigrants,  of  whom  he  writes  some  picturesque  pages. 

No  one  has  given  us  better  than  he  a  vivid  account  of  the  conditions 
of  travel  on  the  Champlain  steamers  at  that  time.  He  dwells  upon  the 
crowds,  the  noise,  the  confusion,  the  utter  impossibility  for  privacy  or  rest, 
making  the  reader  fairly  share  the  annoyance  and  fatigue  which  finally 
drove  him  from  the  cabin  to  the  deck  where  he  tried  to  while  away  the 
rest  of  an  exhausting  night.  Here,  however,  he  found  little  respite.  *'  The 
atmosphere,"  he  writes,  "  was  filled  with  a  muggy  sort  of  red  haze  or 
smoke,  arising,  I  was  told,  from  the  forest  fire,  which  gave  a  ghastly 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  413 

appearance  to  the  villages  and  trees,  seen  through  such  a  choky  medium. 
On  one  occasion  only,  when  this  mist  cleared  off  a  little,  I  was  much  struck 
with  the  appearance  of  a  town  near  us,  and  I  asked  an  American  gentle- 
man what  place  it  was.  *  Oh!  don't  you  know?  That  is  Plattsburgh 
—  and  there  is  the  very  spot  where  our  Commodore  Macdonough 
defeated  the  English  squadron  ' —  I  went  to  bed  again."  The  Captain, 
hke  many  of  his  countrymen,  had  little  relish  for  American  bragging 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  his  mind  about  it. 

In  1 828  came  an  acute,  observant,  note-taking  Scotchman,  James 
Stuart,  whose  "  Three  Years  in  North  America  "  is  one  of  the  justly 
esteemed  and  well-known  books  of  travel.  Stuart's  entrance  to  the  lake, 
like  several  of  the  others  we  have  noted,  was  by  the  old  highway  from 
the  north.  In  the  latter  part  of  September  he  sailed  from  St.  John's 
to  Whitehall  on  the  steamboat  Franf(lm.  His  account  is  of  particular 
interest  in  that  he  found  conditions  very  agreeable,  the  service  good  and 
the  officials  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  polite.  Of  the  boat  journey 
he  says:  "The  provisions  were  excellent,  and  here  as  in  every  place 
where  we  have  yet  been  in  the  United  States  places  were  left  for  us  at  the 
head  of  the  table  on  account  of  our  being  foreigners.  I  noticed  this 
particularly  on  this  occasion  because  there  were  several  persons  of 
eminence  in  the  boat,  part  of  the  family  of  the  Attorney-General  of  the 
United  States  and  several  clergymen."  He  even  has  a  good  word  for 
the  custom  house  officer  who  examined  his  baggage,  but,  he  says,  did 
not  require  it  to  be  opened.  On  his  journey  through  the  lake  he  was 
told  the  story  of  the  burning  of  the  Phoenix,  the  bravery  shown  in  that 
tragedy  affording  him  another  opportunity  for  pleasant  and  appreciative 
words.  Stuart's  pages  contain  a  great  deal  of  Champlain  valley  history. 
He  was  writing  for  a  large  audience  and  lost  no  opportunity  to  record 
whatever  he  thought  might  add  to  the  fulness  and  value  of  his  narrative. 
One  is  struck  on  turning  his  pages  with  his  fortune  everywhere  in  finding 
agreeable  people  and  pleasant  prospects.  One  feels  that  he  himself  must 
have  been  an  agreeable  sort  of  traveling  companion. 


414  State  of  New  York 

A  little  later,  in  1 83 1 ,  came  Godfrey  T.  Vigne,  an  English  barrister- 
at-law,  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  a  light  and  jaunty  writer,  who  hurried  over 
much  ground  during  his  brief  American  sojourn  and  recorded  his  observa- 
tions in  two  agreeable  volumes  entitled  "  Six  Months  in  America."  He 
says  that  he  "  traveled  with  note-book,  sketch-book,  gun  and  fishing  rod, 
alone,  unbewifed  and  unbevehicled,  as  a  man  ought  to  travel."  He  was 
something  of  a  sportsman  and  something  of  an  artist,  and  while  his  book 
records  nothing  new  of  the  Champlain  valley,  it  gives  pleasant  pictures 
of  familiar  scenes  as  they  appeared  to  a  naturalist  and  a  sportsman. 

Very  different  is  the  record  we  get  from  the  next  tourist,  whose  visit 
is  recorded  in  the  books.  This  was  the  Rev.  Andrew  Reed,  a  Doctor 
of  Divinity,  who,  with  the  Rev.  James  Matheson,  was  a  deputation  from 
the  Congregational  Union  of  England  and  Wales  to  visit  the  American 
churches.  In  pursuit  of  this  duty  these  reverend  gentlemen  journeyed 
together  to  Lake  Champlain  in  June,  1834,, but,  naturally,  they  took 
more  note  of  the  moral  and  religious  status  of  the  communities  through 
which  they  passed  than  of  the  more  material  things  of  the  present  or 
the  records  of  the  past.  Mr.  Reed  found  himself  at  Burlington  on  a 
"  Sabbath  eve,"  and  while  he  was  not  insensible  to  the  beauty  of  the 
landscape,  he  was  more  moved  by  the  rowdyism  of  the  streets  which 
disturbed  his  quiet  and  shocked  his  sense  of  propriety.  He  pursued 
his  journey  by  steamer  through  the  lake  to  St.  John's. 

Another  traveler  this  year  was  the  Hon.  Charles  Augustus  Murray, 
whose  elaborate  volumes  of  American  travels,  published  in  London  in 
1839,  were  dedicated  to  Queen  Victoria.  He  gives  a  brief  account  of 
his  visit  to  Lake  Champlain,  coming  to  it  through  the  wilderness  from 
Ogdensburg,  a  most  unusual  route  at  that  day.  He  drove,  he  says, 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  through  the  "  most  wild  and  uncultivated 
country  "  he  had  ever  seen,  to  Plattsburgh,  and  he  adds  some  pages 
devoted  to  the  loneliness  of  the  forest,  the  wretchedness  of  the  roads  and 
the  general  dreariness  of  American  scenery.  At  Burlington,  however, 
he  came  under  the  inevitable  spell  which  no  traveler  resists  who  sees 
that  fair  bay  set  with  islands  and  framed  in  hills  under  favorable  con- 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  415 

ditions  of  season  and  of  sun  light.  He  writes  of  it  as  one  might  write  of 
Como  or  Lugano.  "  The  view  of  the  lake  with  its  promontories  and 
woody  islands,  bounded  by  a  distant  range  of  blue  mountains,  is  as  lovely 
as  the  eye  of  a  Claude  or  a  Poussin  could  desire."  At  the  little  college 
he  was  surprised  to  find  three  Germans  who  had  come  thither  from 
Gottingen  to  study  the  English  language.  "  Is  there  nothing  in  this," 
he  asks,  "  to  rouse  the  attention  of  Oxford,  Cambridge,  London,  Edin- 
burgh, that  three  young  men  desirous  of  learning  English  should  find  it 
expedient  from  reasons  of  economy  or  other  facilities,  to  travel  between 
four  and  five  thousand  miles  to  a  remote  town  in  the  interior  of  North 
America?"  The  Hon.  Mr.  Murray  continued  his  journey  by  driving 
across  New  England  to  Boston. 

In  the  late  summer  of  1832  there  passed  through  Lake  Champlain 
one  Captain  Hamilton,  the  author  of  "  Men  and  Manners  in  America," 
"  Cyril  Thornton,"  and  other  works,  both  travel  and  fiction.  The  first 
named  work,  published  at  Edinburgh  in  1833,  records  his  Champlain 
visit.  His  narrative  offers  nothing  not  already  noted  in  the  work  of  his 
predecessors.  It  is  interesting  to  find,  however,  that  he  joins  with  most 
of  the  British  tourists  of  that  period  in  dwelling  at  some  length  upon  the 
disastrous  roul  of  Prevost.  Writing  of  Plattsburgh,  he  says:  "The 
historian  who  would  illustrate  by  facts  the  almost  incredible  amount  of 
folly,  ignorance,  and  imbecility,  by  which  the  arms  of  England  may  be 
tarnished,  and  her  resources  wasted  with  impunity,  should  bestow  a  care- 
ful examination  on  the  details  of  the  Plattsburgh  expedition.  He  will 
then  precisely  understand  how  war  can  be  turned  into  child's  play,  and 
its  operations  regulated,  as  in  the  royal  game  of  Goose,  by  the  twirl  of  a 
teetotum." 

Our  next  tourist  is  no  British  officer,  but  a  Massachusetts  woman, 
Caroline  H.  Oilman,  whose  cleverness  as  a  writer  of  both  verse  and 
prose  made  her  widely  popular  in  the  decades  preceding  the  Civil  War. 
In  the  summer  of  1836  she  visited  our  lake,  afterwards  recording  her 
impressions  in  her  popular  volume  "  Poetry  of  Travel  in  the  United 
States."    Writing  from  Burlington  she  gives  us  the  following  memoranda 


416  State  of  New  York 

regarding  the  boat  service  at  that  period :  "  We  left  Montreal  in  the 
steamer  Princess  Victoria  for  St.  John's,  and  from  thence  the  fine  steam- 
boat Franklin,  for  Lake  Champlain.  I  have  seen  nothing  either  in  boats 
or  hotels  to  compare  with  the  elegance  and  neatness  of  this  boat.  Among 
other  matters  of  taste  are  excellent  waiters,  handsome  youths  in  uniform 
with  stylish  caps  from  which  a  silk  tassel  depends,  and  in  the  purest 
white  aprons  and  jackets.  This  is  altogether  a  most  exquisite  sail. 
Plattsburgh,  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  is  a  handsome  village,  and  one 
looks  with  interest  on  Macdonough's  farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
acres,  which  was  granted  him  by  the  Legislature  of  Vermont."  She 
adds  a  poem  on  Plattsburgh  and  gives  to  her  notes  on  the  region  the 
touch  of  grace  and  genial  humor  which  characterizes  her  work  and  won 
her  a  wide  popularity. 

Whatever  the  nationality  or  point  of  view  of  the  tourist,  or  however 
bitterly  he  may  have  written  regarding  Americans  or  the  recent  military 
strife  on  the  lake,  he  was  sure  to  have  a  good  word  for  Burlington.  That 
pleasant  town  could  well  afford  to  compile  all  that  has  been  said  of  it 
by  visitors,  from  its  establishment  to  date.  The  only  drawback  to  such 
a  collection  would  be  the  monotony  of  praise.  A  British  traveler  of 
some  note,  the  Quaker,  Joseph  John  Gurney,  who  toured  America  in 
1840,  described  the  scenes  and  people  he  met  with  in  a  long  series  of 
familiar  letters  to  Amelia  Opie,  an  English  novelist  and  poet,  who  had 
joined  the  Society  of  Friends.  In  his  visit  to  Lake  Champlain  he  was 
entertained  by  a  family  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  from  whom,  no  doubt, 
he  gained  certain  impressions  which  led  him  to  generalize  on  the  people 
of  the  region.  *'  The  people  of  Vermont,"  he  writes,  "  are  in  general 
much  opposed  to  slavery.  I  was  ready  to  think,  as  I  passed  along  amongst 
them,  that  they  were  the  better,  body  and  soul,  for  their  retirement  from 
the  world,  and  for  the  remarkably  pure  air  which  it  is  their  lot  to  breathe." 
He  writes  in  the  usual  laudatory  vein  of  Burlington  and  its  surrounding 
scenery.  "  The  lake  at  this  spot,"  he  says,  '*  struck  me  as  singularly 
like  that  of  the  lakes  of  Cumberland,  particularly  Derwentwater."  On  a 
Sunday,  at  Burlington,  he  shared  with  other  friends  in  morning  worship 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  417 

at  the  hotel;  in  the  afternoon  he  visited  the  Methodist  meeting-house; 
later  on  drank  tea  with  Dr.  Wheeler,  the  president  of  the  college;  met 
Prof.  Marsh  and  others  prominent  in  the  early  history  of  that  institution, 
and  at  night  was  routed  out  of  his  bed  by  a  fire  which  destroyed  a  portion 
of  his  hotel.  From  Burlington  he  drove  to  St.  Albans,  along  the  east 
bank  of  the  lake,  and  contmued  thence  into  Canada. 

The  next  year,  1 842,  came  John  Robert  Godley,  also  an  Englishman, 
who  dates  two  chapters  of  his  two-volume  "  Letters  from  America,"  at 
Isle  aux  Noix.  In  them  he  discusses  many  phases  of  Canadian  and 
American  life,  speaks  of  hunting  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Champlain,  and 
describes  a  visit  to  Missisquol  bay.  He  passed  through  the  lake  by 
steamer  from  south  to  north.  His  boat  was  the  Burlington,  which  he 
says  had  "  a  crew  of  forty-two  men  and  all  her  operations,  such  as 
lowering  boats,  etc.,  were  conducted  with  a  rapidity  and  precision  of  a 
man-of-war."  **  The  steamers  on  Lake  Champlain  are  preeminent 
among  American  lake  and  river  boats  for  regularity,  speed  and  accom- 
modations, and  havmg  thereby  succeeded  in  deterring  the  opposition 
which  everywhere  else  keeps  down  profits  to  the  minimum  point,  pay 
better  than  those  of  any  other  company."  At  Ticonderoga,  he  thought 
that  the  remains  of  the  fort  and  surrounding  area  formed  a  good  fore- 
ground to  one  of  the  most  beautiful  views  which  he  had  seen  in  America. 
Plattsburgh  inspired  him  to  write  the  usual  pages  of  military  discussion 
and  to  reach  the  following  unusual  suggestion:  "  The  effective  plan  for 
injuring  the  United  States  would,  of  course,  be  to  land  an  army  of  free 
negroes  in  the  South,  and  proclaim  liberty  to  the  slaves."  British  states- 
manship might  have  found  many  novel  ideas  in  the  pages  of  this  diverting 
writer  who  seems  to  have  taken  himself  very  seriously. 

It  is  refreshing  to  turn  from  Godley  to  such  a  cheerful  free-lance  as 
Augustus  E.  Silliman,  brother  to  the  more  famous  Benjamin  Silliman. 
This  young  man,  in  1843,  made  a  wide  American  tour  which  he  calls 
"A  Gallop  Among  American  Scenery,  or  Sketches  of  American  Scenes 
and  Military  Adventure."  Passing  through  the  Champlain  country,  he 
writes  of  it  almost  wholly  without  exact  data,  his  pages  unburdened  by 

28 


418  State  of  New  York 

the  efforts  to  record  facts,  and  yet  breezy  and  attractive  in  their  pen 
pictures  of  scenery  and  incident. 

The  reader  may  be  reminded  that  all  of  these  travelers  came  to  the 
valley  before  the  railroad  era;  some  by  coach,  some  on  horseback,  most 
of  them  by  steamer.  According  to  a  statistical  work  of  1 844,  Holley's 
"American  Tourist,"  there  were  that  year  three  passenger  steamers,  the 
Burlington,  the  Whitehall,  and  the  Saranac,  regularly  running  from 
Whitehall  to  St.  John's.  These  boats  were  celebrated  for  the  discipline 
observed  on  board  and  for  the  comfort  and  thoroughness  of  their  pass- 
enger arrangements.  The  cabin  passage  for  the  trip  at  that  date  was 
$3.00.  There  were  two  shipyards  at  Whitehall  and  two  dry-docks. 
Two  steamboats  were  employed  on  the  lake  for  towing,  and  the  freight 
business  was  largely  carried  on  by  more  than  fifty  sloops  and  schooners, 
varying  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  tons  each,  and  by  some  seventy  canal 
boats.  Through  the  Champlain  canal  in  the  40's  two  daily  lines  of 
packets  were  operated  to  Troy  and  Albany,  and  there  were  two  lines 
of  stages  reaching  the  lake  from  the  south. 

We  may  properly  include  in  our  list  one  of  the  best  beloved  American 
poets,  William  CuUen  Bryant,  whose  account  of  the  tour  which  brought 
him  to  Lake  Champlain  in  July,  1843,  is  to  be  found  in  the  once  popular 
volume,  "  Letters  of  a  Traveler."  Mr.  Bryant  came  to  the  lake  by 
way  of  the  Champlain  canal,  not  a  common  method  of  approach  for 
book-writing  tourists.  He  writes  as  only  a  poet  could  of  the  beauties  of 
that  canal  and  its  junction  with  the  lake.  From  Whitehall  he  journeyed 
by  wagon  easterly  through  Vermont,  so  that  he  really  came  scarcely  in 
touch  with  the  typical  Champlain  life. 

A  little  later  than  this  period,  we  find  an  interesting  personal  narrative 
by  James  Dixon,  a  Methodist  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  England,  who, 
in  June  of  1848,  came  from  Montreal  up  the  Richelieu,  noting  the  small 
fort  at  the  boundary,  and  passing  through  the  lake  to  Whitehall.  Of  the 
scenic  picture  which  unfolded  before  him  as  he  sailed  south  from  Platts- 
burgh,  he  writes  a  most  extraordinary  panegyric :  "  The  scene  was  the 
most  beautifully  romantic  which  nature  can  possibly  present:  A  blue 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  419 

sky,  deep,  lofty,  stretching  its  heavenly  arch  to  span  the  landscape,  the 
sun  setting  in  all  his  gorgeous  glory,  the  lake  smooth  as  glass,  except  as 
disturbed  by  our  motion,  wild  fowl  fluttering  about  and  enjoying  the  cool 
evening,  the  majestic  mountains  of  Vermont  looming  in  the  distance,  and 
all  the  intermediate  space  filled  with  cultivated  fields  and  towering  forests 
—  and  then  the  lonely  little  town  of  Plattsburgh,  touching  the  fringe 
of  the  lake,  and  presenting  the  most  perfect  aspect  of  rural  peace  and 
quiet  on  which  the  eye  ever  gazed.  My  manliness  was  here  for  the  first 
time  overcome;  I  longed  and  longed  to  get  on  shore,  to  fix  my  tent,  and 
remain  forever.  This  sentiment  was  new;  I  had  never  before  felt  any 
remarkable  desire  to  locate  in  any  place  I  had  seen;  but  here,  for  a 
moment,  I  was  perfectly  overcome.  Other  affections,  of  course,  soon 
sprang  up,  and  wafted  my  soul  across  the  Atlantic,  where  treasures  dearer 
than  even  these  beauties  had  their  dwelling.  During  this  little  paroxysm, 
delirium,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  my  kind  companion.  Dr.  Richey, 
had  retired  to  his  cabin,  so  that  one  of  my  wants  could  not  be  relieved — 
a  vent  for  exclamations  of  delight!  This  was  just  one  of  those  moments 
which  can  never  be  forgotten,  an  Eden,  a  paradisiacal  scene,  into  which 
none  can  enter  with  one,  and  which  leaves  its  picture  vividly  penciled  on 
the  soul.  But  how  soon  things  change,  and  in  their  reality  fade  away ! 
We  left  this  spot,  passed  on,  the  night  closed  in,  the  curtain  dropped." 

Among  the  poets,  the  preachers,  and  the  soldiers,  who  seem  to  have 
written  most  of  the  travel  books  we  are  noting,  the  soldiers  perhaps  pre- 
dominate, and  certainly  wrote  the  liveliest  and  most  useful  books.  The 
year  after  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dixon's  visit,  there  came  Major  John  Thornton, 
who  kept  a  diary  of  his  tour  which  he  published  in  1850,  in  London. 
We  find  him,  in  September,  '49,  embarking  at  St.  John's  for  the  Cham- 
plain  voyage.  He  took  note  of  his  traveling  companions,  many  of  them 
habilans,  and  the  village  priests  of  lower  Canada,  who,  to  this  day,  are 
sure  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  visitor  to  the  region,  especially  if  he 
come  from  the  States.  Major  Thornton  thought  it  worthy  of  remark 
"  that  the  Americans  choose  fine,  active,  well-dressed  young  men  as  com- 
manders of  steamboats,  pursers,  check  takers  in  railway  cars,  and  such  like 


420  State  of  New  York 

posts.  They  are  the  elite  of  the  American  youth  of  their  class  and  their 
ostensible  aspect  is  a  good  introduction  and  gives  the  public  confidence." 
He  says  less  of  Burlington  than  is  usual,  but  remembers  Westport,  across 
the  lake,  "  a  beautiful  locality,  very  inviting  to  halt  at,"  and  he  adds: 
"  Off  Split  Rock,  the  captain,  a  well-dressed,  genteel-looking  man,  wear- 
ing an  immense  diamond  brooch,  assured  me  the  lake  was  1 ,000  feet 
deep."  After  inspecting  Ticonderoga,  he  journeyed  to  Lake  George  by 
stage.  His  little  book  is  not  a  very  serious  work,  but  presents  a  better 
picture  of  the  regions  visited  than  is  offered  in  many  a  work  of  weight 
and  gravity. 

In  August,  1852,  Lake  Champlain  was  visited  by  Edmund  Patten, 
a  Londoner,  who  published,  the  next  year,  "A  Glimpse  at  the  United 
States  and  the  Northern  States  of  America,"  etc.  His  not  very  valuable 
pages  are,  however,  pretty  full  of  what  he  saw  on  the  lake.  He  was  sur- 
prised not  to  find  the  American  flag  floating  over  the  ruins  of  Ticonderoga, 
*'  with  an  artilleryman  or  two  to  guard  the  sacred  spot.  Congress,  how- 
ever, does  not  waste  dollars  on  matters  of  effect,  merely;  little  romance 
is  to  be  found  in  these  go-ahead  people."  Misinformation  leads  him  into 
many  amusing  blunders.  At  Burlington  he  thought  the  "  hotels  very 
inferior  and  the  attendance  execrable."  He  says  he  was  glad  to  escape 
from  the  town  and  as  he  journeyed  northward  by  steam  took  note  of  the 
country  people  at  the  landings,  and  he  was  "  glad  to  notice  a  general 
appearance  of  well-doing,  and  the  absence  of  poverty  and  misery.  Here 
there  are  no  beggars  to  importune  or  annoy  you."  He  mentions  the 
islands  which  give  such  variety  and  beauty  to  the  northern  end  of  the 
lake,  and  quotes  poetry  to  relieve  his  feelings,  so  stirred  are  they  by  the 
beauty  which  unfolds  before  him  as  he  sails.  The  poetry  ends,  however, 
on  coming  to  Rouse's  Point,  near  the  boundary  line,  where  he  was  much 
disturbed  by  the  noise  and  confusion  incident  to  the  meeting  of  boats 
and  railway  —  for  by  this  time  the  railway  had  reached  the  Champlain 
valley.  "  Here,"  he  says,  "  the  Yankee  is  in  his  glory,  although  the  con- 
fusion and  noise  beat  even  that  of  Broadway,  in  New  York."  The 
"  weary  traveler  had  little  chance  of  a  night's  rest,  surrounded,  as  he  is. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  421 

by  the  hissing  of  engines  both  from  steam  and  rail,  the  noises  of  cranes 
and  the  bustle  of  hundreds  of  passengers  with  their  heavy  luggage." 
Passing  through  the  customs  examination  he  is  moved  to  observe:  "  Your 
luggage  or  merchandise  is  inspected,  and  anything  coming  under  the 
tariff  laws,  chargeable  with  duty,  at  once  arranged,  the  packages  properly 
ticketed,  and  given  in  charge  to  the  luggage-van  authorities,  so  that  all 
further  interruption  is  avoided,  and  in  passing  from  one  country  to  the 
other,  there  is,  indeed,  at  first,  very  little  difference  observable.  In  all 
steamboat  or  railway  traveling,  the  Yankees  have  brought  the  arrange- 
ments to  great  perfection,  especially  as  regards  the  simplicity  of  the  rail 
carriages,  the  fares,  the  extraordinary  cheapness,  and  the  speed  of  river 
boats,  which  is  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  rail.  It  cannot,  however,  be 
denied  that  this  mode  of  transit  has  its  drawbacks,  and  is  occasionally 
attended  with  awful  loss  of  life,  more  particularly  by  the  river  boats,"  and 
he  cites  the  recent  loss  of  the  Henry  Clay  and  of  the  Reindeer  on  the 
Hudson,  and  a  third  steamboat  disaster  on  Lake  Ontario. 

A  more  renowned  traveler,  Alexander  Marjoribanks,  whose  "  Travels 
in  New  Zealand,"  "  Australia,"  etc.,  some  readers  will  recall,  came  to 
Lake  Champlain  in  this  same  summer  of  1852,  reaching  Burlington  by 
train,  where  he  made  a  short  sojourn.  He  remarks  that  the  view  of  the 
lake  from  that  town  "  is  not  unlike  that  from  the  beautiful  seat  of  my 
esteemed  friend,  David  Bell,  Esq.,  of  Craigmore,  in  the  island  of  Bute, 
and  of  Blackball,  in  the  county  of  Lanark,  looking  across  the  Frith  of 
Clyde  towards  Largs  and  the  adjacent  district  of  Ayrshire."  The  nar- 
rative of  this  visit  is  to  be  found  in  his  "  Travels  in  South  and  North 
America,"  printed  in  London,   1853. 

The  latter  half  of  the  1 9th  century  has  not,  apparently,  been  so  pro- 
lific in  books  written  by  British  globe-trotters  as  were  the  earlier  decades. 
The  tourist  to-day,  especially  the  English  tourist,  is  more  tempted  by  the 
regions  farther  west,  and  it  Is  probable  that  a  survey  of  this  class  of 
literature  would  show  a  present-day  production  of  descriptive  volumes 
relating  to  Canada,  the  Northwest  and  the  Pacific  coast,  corresponding 
to  the  books  of  the  earlier  years  which  are  largely  devoted  to  the  eastern 


422  State  of  New  York 

United  States.  There  is  also  a  signal  hiatus  in  the  production  of  Ameri- 
can travel  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  War  and  for  some  years  there- 
after. One  or  two  British  and  French  war  correspondents  lingered  in 
American  after  the  end  of  hostilities  and  recorded  their  impressions  in 
more  or  less  valuable  volumes.  But  the  popular  resorts  and  scenic 
attractions  of  the  East  no  longer  receive  the  elaborate  treatment  from 
travelers  who  wrote  books  that  they  did  in  the  first  half  of  the  last  century. 

There  are,  of  course,  now  and  then  works  which  touch  the  Champlain 
region  of  a  later  date  than  those  mentioned.  Note  may  be  made  of  the 
impressions  of  Julius  George  Medley,  lieutenant-colonel  of  British  Royal 
Engineers,  a  Fellow  of  the  University  of  Calcutta,  etc.,  whose  book,  "An 
Autumn  Tour  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,"  was  published  in 
London  in  1 873.  He  came  from  Lake  George  in  the  fall  of  '72  by 
stage  to  Ticonderoga,  "  a  ride,"  he  says,  "  over  an  abominable  road." 
He  found  the  scenery  of  Lake  Champlain  inferior  to  that  of  the  smaller 
lake  and  dismisses  the  region  with  a  few  indifferent  sentences.  Of  much 
the  same  character  is  the  volume  entitled  "  Notes  of  a  Tour  in  America," 
made  in  1 877,  by  H.  Hussey  Vivian,  Member  of  Parliament,  Fellow  of 
the  Geographical  Society,  and,  no  doubt,  much  else.  His  hurried  Ameri- 
can tour,  from  August  to  November,  is  recorded  in  a  volume  which  no 
doubt  gave  satisfaction  to  his  personal  friends,  but  contains  little  likely 
to  prove  useful  to  the  student  of  American  development. 

These  notes  might  be  much  extended  by  reference  to  works  of  travel 
relating  to  the  Champlain  region  published  in  languages  other  than 
English.  Numerous  French  writers  have  visited  the  lake  in  the  course 
of  their  American  touring  and  briefly  recorded  their  impressions. 

An  interesting  group  of  books  in  German  might  readily  be  brought 
together,  some  of  them  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  mentioned  here. 

One  of  the  earliest  in  this  language  narrates  the  American  travels  of 
Bernhardt,  Duke  of  Sachsen- Weimar-Eisenach,  published  at  Weimar, 
1828.  The  Duke  visited  Lake  Champlain  in  September,  1825,  about 
the  time  of  Lafayette's  visit,  before  mentioned. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  423 

Coming  from  Montreal,  he  embarked  at  St.  John's  on  the  new  steamer 
Phoenix,  the  second  Lake  Champlain  boat  bearing  that  name.  He 
devotes  a  long  chapter  to  the  military  establishment  and  fortifications  on 
Isle  aux  Noix,  and  gives  a  sketch  of  the  style  of  earthworks  which  he 
found  there.  He  passed  on  through  the  lake  to  its  southern  end  and 
thence  to  Lake  George,  and  writes  with  much  detail  of  all  the  more 
important  places  along  its  shores. 

Another  German  tourist  whose  work  deserves  attention  was  J.  G. 
Kohl,  an  account  of  whose  travels  in  Canada  and  the  United  States  was 
published  in  Stuttgart  in  1856.  He  devotes  an  interesting  chapter  to 
Burhngton  and  another  to  the  "  See  Champlain,"  over  which  he  jour- 
neyed northward,  taking  note  of  all  the  natural  features  of  the  landscape, 
of  his  companions  in  travel,  the  manners  and  customs  house  officials,  and 
everything  else  which  could  illuminate  his  picture  of  American  life. 

The  works  of  travel  above  mentioned  chiefly  relate  to  the  Champlain 
valley  in  the  first  half  of  the  19th  century.  Even  for  that  period  the 
list  might  be  much  extended  in  English  as  well  as  in  foreign  tongues. 
The  purpose  of  the  review  has,  however,  been  attained.  It  was  to  show 
how  the  works  of  these  tourists  offer  glimpses  of  the  exact  state  of  things 
as  they  saw  them  at  the  moment  of  their  visit,  glimpses  often  more  vivid 
and  more  illuminating  to  the  historian  than  are  to  be  gained  through  any 
other  records.  Whoever  writes  the  definitive  history  of  the  Champlain 
valley  cannot  afford  to  ignore  the  aid  of  these  sources. 

The  Interest  awakened  in  the  Champlain  valley  is  evidenced  in  the 
annual  exercises  of  the  Lake  Champlain  Association,  of  which  Hon. 
Chester  B.  McLaughlin  was  President  in  1910,  and  Hon.  D.  P.  Kings- 
ley  is  now  President,  comprising  several  hundred  members,  who  have  at 
some  time  resided  in  the  valley  and  who  make  an  annual  tour  to  some 
of  its  historical  places. 

The  twelfth  annual  meeting  of  the  New  York  Historical  Associa- 
tion, of  which  the  Honorable  James  A.  Roberts  is  President,  was  held 
on  the  steamer  Vermont,  touching  at  the  historical  points  about  the  lake 


424  State  of  New  York 

from  October  4th  to  6th,  1 9 1 0,  and  the  principal  addresses  on  that  occa- 
sion related  to  some  of  the  important  phases  of  Lake  Champlain  history. 
The  significance  of  all  such  exercises  as  these  and  such  celebrations  as 
the  Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  becomes  more  apparent  to  all  who 
reflect  upon  the  dictum  of  the  philosopher,  Hegel,  that  "  History  is 
always  of  great  importance  for  a  people;  since  by  means  of  that,  it 
becomes  conscious  of  the  path  of  development  taken  by  its  own  spirit, 
which  expresses  itself  in  laws,  manners,  customs  and  deeds." 


Published  by  courtesy  of  the  Vermont  Commission 

Scenes  from  Indian  pageants 


Scenes  from  Indian  pageants 


Scenes  (rom  Indian  pageants 


LIBRETTO  OF  THE  PLAY  OF  HIAWATHA 

(As   given    at    several    points    on    Lake    Champlain,    July    5-9,    1909.     Printed    here    by    courtesy 
of    the   proprietors,    Messrs.    W.    D.   Lighthall    and    L.    O.   Armstrong.) 

425 


\ 


THE  BOOK  OF  THE  PLAY  OF  "HIAWATHA.  THE 
MOHAWK,"  DEPICTING  THE  SIEGE  OF  HOCHE- 
LAGA  AND  THE  BATTLE  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 


[Prefatory  Note. —  The  success  of  Mr.  L.  O.  Armstrong  for  several  years 
with  his  famous  Indian  dramatic  representation  of  "  Hiawatha,  the  Ojibway,"  the 
equal  success  of  his  Indian  contingent  at  the  great  Quebec  Tercentenary  of  1  908, 
brought  about  his  still  larger  undertaking  for  an  Indian  Pageant  for  the  Lake 
Champlain  Tercentenary. 

The  history  of  the  Lake  and  of  all  the  Northern  States  opens  with  Samuel 
Champlain's  fight  with  the  Iroquois  here  in  1 609.  It  is  now  known  that  their 
presence  on  Lake  Champlain  was  a  result  of  their  having  been  driven  out  by  the 
Hurons  and  Algonquins  from  Hochelaga  (Montreal)  and  Stadacona  (Quebec) 
where  Jacques  Cartier  had  found  them  dwelling  in  1535.  The  history  of  their 
romantic  wars  and  of  the  founding  of  their  remarkable  League  by  Hiawatha  is  told 
in  W.  D.  Lighthall's  recent  "  Romance  of  the  Five  Nations  and  of  Prehistoric  Mon- 
treal," entitled,  "  The  Master  of  Life,"  which  Mr.  Armstrong  has  used  as  the  basis 
of  the  Pageant  in  leading  us  to  the  historic  battle  of  Lake  Champlain. 

The  Indian  players  are  drawTi  from  the  reservations  at  Caughnawaga,  St.  Francis, 
Oka  in  Quebec  and  from  Brantford,  Garden  River,  St.  Regis  in  Ontario,  and  from 
Onondaga,  N.  Y.  In  the  cast.  Scar  Face  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Eunice  Wil- 
liams captured  at  Deerfleld  in  I  704.  While  very  little  white  blood  remains  in 
him,  that  little  has  a  distinctly  New  England  atmosphere. 

In  the  depiction,  the  ancient  arts,  customs  and  dress  have  been  studied.] 


427 


428 


State  of  New  York 


Pipe  of  Peace. 
Awitharoa. 


Indians  against  stag 
in  a  race  and  a 
canoe  race  between 
Algonquins   and 
Ojibways. 


Wampum  bell  of 
bark. 


belts. 


Gives  tobacco 


Maize. 


Black  Stone 
Amulets. 


HIAWATHA,  THE  MOHAWK 

Friendly  meeting  for  trade  of  Hochelagas  and  Algonquins  at 
Tiotiake  (Montreal). 

Scene  I 

A  fire  is  solemnly  lit.  The  Peace  Pipe  is  presented  to  the 
leaders  of  all  tribes.  Awitharoa,  the  great  Peace  Chief  of  the 
Hochelaga  nation  (later  one  of  the  tribes  of  the  Iroquois  con- 
federacy) talks  of  past  and  present  friendship,  with  the  hope  of 
long  continuing  a  peace  which  is  so  profitable  to  all  nations. 

The  Algonquin  champion,  "  The  Black  Wolverine,"  and  the 
Hochelaga  champion,  Hiawatha,  race  together  in  running  down  a 
stag.  A  canoe  race  is  arranged  while  waiting  for  the  result  of 
the  race  with  the  deer.  After  canoe  race,  Awitharoa  says, 
Algonquins  —  Hochelagas  —  our  fathers  met  yours  on  this  island 
before  the  memory  of  any  of  the  living.  Here  were  always  seen 
the  Hochelaga  Bear  and  the  Algonquin  Rabbit  —  the  totems  of 
friends.  The  great  pine  tree  under  which  our  forefathers  and  we 
ourselves  met  has  gone,  but  that  we  may  continue  close  friends  I 
give  to  each  of  your  chiefs  a  wampum  belt  pictured  with  a  pine 
tree. 

(Hoh!  Hoh!  Algonquins.)  That  you  may  forget  your  ills 
and  have  incense  for  sacrifice  to  the  Manitou  I  give  you  this 
tobacco  (asogun)  raised  not  by  women  but  by  our  warriors. 

Here  is  maize.  May  the  demon  of  want  never  come  near  your 
wigwam. 

For  your  protection  I  give  you  these  amulets  of  black  stone; 
they  will  drive  away  Windigos  and  all  evil  things. 

People  of  the  Northern  Lights  —  Algonquins,  my  nation  — 
the  Hochelagas  and  yours  are  one  house.  Whenever  you  are 
hungry  come  into  our  wigwams  and  sit  down  by  the  fires;  our 
women  will  bring  you  corn;  they  wnll  spread  your  mats;  we  will 
pass  you  the  pipe. 


(Algonquins,  Hoh  !   Hoh ! ) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


429 


Nikona  (of  the  Algonquins)  patriarch  (says).  Our  people 
have  no  crops  —  no  crafts.  We  are  not  as  yours,  we  can  make 
palisades  and  houses  and  amulets:  ye  are  a  wonderful  nation,  but 
our  northern  country  is  full  of  moose  and  wapiti.  I  give  you  these 
skins  for  leggings  and  moccasins,  which  your  women  will  make 
and  decorate  beautifully.  Here  is  a  hill  of  skins.  Here  are  bags 
of  war  paint.  Here  are  strings  of  shell  wampum.  Say  to  your- 
selves, what  is  more  beautiful  than  the  peace  which  they  repre- 
sent. And  to  thee,  Awitharoa,  I  give  this  axe  of  sharp  green 
copper.  It  is  full  of  magic  for  the  cutting  of  trees  and  slaying  of 
foes. 

Hoh!  Hoh!  Hee  a  hee  ee  hoh. 

(The  runners!  The  runners!  Iroquois.) 

Hiawatha  and  the  Wolverine  appear  on  the  other  side.  The 
race  is  ended.  Hiawatha  is  the  victor.  Hiawatha  come  to  the 
Council.     Ho.     Ho. 

Atvltharoa. 

Hiawatha,  I  crown  you  the  swiftest  of  warriors.  Next  year, 
Algonquins,  it  may  be  your  turn  to  win.  We  are  proud  of 
Hiawatha  this  year.  Give  me  the  red  feather.  Here  Hiawatha. 
You  are  a  chief  and  will  sit  in  all  Councils.  At  the  CORN  FEAST 
to-morrow  you  shall  light  the  sacred  fire. 

(Haul  up  front  curtain.     Arrange  corn  scene.) 


Nikona.  llic  Algon- 
quin, speaks. 


Gives  skins. 

Shell    wampum. 
Gives  copper  axe. 


Description    of    end 
of  race. 


Hiawatha   appears 
with   deer   on   his 
■jhoulder. 


Red     feather. 


Scene  II 

A  Tvitharoa. 

What  is  the  custom,  O  grandmother? 

KaTvi. 

Ye  shall  choose  the  most  beautiful,  our  ancestors  said. 

Kvoenhia  appears 
Kaiv'i. 

Yea,  verily  she  is  Adohasu,  the  beautiful  maiden. 

Atvilharoa. 

Thou  art  Osizi,  the  spirit  of  maize  —  the  daughter  of  the  Sun. 

(Dressing  of  Kwenhia.     See  Book.  The  Master  of  Life.)  R""',"S  °^ 


Com  Feast. 


Kwenhia,   ihe  Corn 
Maiden. 


430 


State  of  New  York 


Hiawatha  lights  the  sacred  (ire. 

Awiiharoa. 

O!  Host  of  the  warrior  dead!     Accept  our  thanks. 

Our  Ancestors.     Continue  to  hsten !     O  Red  Chief  of  men  and 
spirits,  we  offer  thee  the  pipe  of  peace. 

(The  three  maidens  have  disappeared.) 

(The  Council  assembles  —  The  Mystery  Men.) 


Invocation. 


Medicine  men  with 
masks   come   and 
dance. 


Haliria's  call. 


Hatiria. 

Listen.     Listen,  daughters  of  the  sun.     Maize-maiden!     Bean- 
maiden  !     Squash  maiden !  appear.     LlSTEN. 

O,  Three  come  forth. 
Keep  watch. 
Let  us  worship. 

(Black   Wolverine    and    five    hunters   appear   with    Ojibway 
feathers.) 


Aivitharoa. 

Black  Wolverine  and  Warriors  • 


We 


BlacJi  Wolverine. 

Your  runner,  Hiawatha,  beat  me  in  the  race,  but  we  think  we 
are  better  hunters  than  your  people.  We  challenge  Hiawatha 
and  five  of  your  hunters  to  hunt  bear  at  the  Lake  of  the  Two 
Mountains  against  myself  and  these  five  Algonquins. 

Hiarvatha. 
Preparations  go  on        Black  Wolverine,  I   accept  the  challenge.      Will  you  be  our 
for   Com   Festival,   guests?     Our  women  will  cook  for  you  and  a  new  lodge  will  be 

prepared  for  you  to  sleep  in.     Our  young  men  and  maidens  will 

sing  to  you.    Join  in  our  corn  festival. 

The  Three  Maidens  Appear 

Old  Woman. 

They  are  the  most  beautiful  ever  chosen. 

(Background  of  corn  and  heaps  of  corn.) 

(Painted  corn  scenes.)      (Corn  song  and  grinding.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  431 


A  Tvitharoa. 

Hiawatha!  Hochelega's  is  a  happy  people.  Hlawaiha  and 

,,.            ,.                 ,,               r,.               i>             1  .  J       Kwenhia   al    Ih 

Hiawatha  sils  at  the  door  ot  his  mother  s  and  great  grand-    Joq^  of  j, 


IS  molher  i 


mother's  house.     Kawi.     Woman  cooking.  '°^g^-    ^Ij^y  'P^*'' 

together   about 

Onata  to  Kwenhia. 

My  child,  sit  down  here;  you  don't  eat  with  us  often  enough. 


Hiawatha's    future. 


Kahaivi. 

The  custom  of  the  mothers  is  the  men  before  the  women;  the 
guests  before  the  household;  old  before  young. 

Ktvenhla  to  Hiatvatha. 

Where  is  your  caribou  skin?     How  does  it  feel  to  be  a  chief? 

Onata, 

The  skin  is  soaking  in  the  water,  I  am  making  him  a  shirt  of  it. 

Kwenhia. 

Let  me  come  and  decorate  it  with  you.  1  will  put  on  a  figure 
of  a  man  with  a  long  feather. 

Kami. 

Wail!  the  slayer  must  say  the  invocation. 

Hiaivalha  (prays). 

O  stag,  bear  me  no  ill  will  for  slaying  thee ;  it  was  for  the  glory 
of  my  tribe.  Graze  in  endless  peace  with  thy  people  in  the  forest 
of  the  land  of  souls. 

Kxvenhia. 

When  you  are  a  great  chief,  Hiawatha,  when  you  walk  sternly 
among  the  warriors,  do  not  forget  your  little  sister  Kwenhia. 
When  I  saw  you  go  up  to  the  Council  place  this  morning,  it 
seemed  as  if  I  had  lost  my  brother. 

Hiawalha. 

Fear  not,  my  little  one.  Let  us  go  and  sit  at  the  lake  side  and 
listen  to  the  voice  of  the  night. 

(Algonquins  are  invited  into  the  long  houses  and  with  others 
disappear.  A  hidden  choir  sing  softly  the  Caughnawaga  song 
[Konoronkwa]   and  others.) 


432  State  of  New  York 

Krvenhia. 

What  art  thou  saying  to  thyself? 

Hiaivatha. 

Ha!  Ha!  I  was  thinking  how  pleasant  are  swift  hunting  and 
racing  and  archery  and  listening  to  the  adventures  of  renowned 
chiefs ;  but  more  than  all  how  the  greatest  joy  would  be  war.  We 
of  the  Sacred  Island,  Tiotiake,  are  dishonored  for  want  of 
enemies;  we  do  not  fight  enough,  it  is  always  peace,  peace.  In 
the  spring  I  will  give  a  feast  to  the  young  men,  and  call  on  them 
to  follow  me  to  Stadacona,  and  there  we  will  form  a  war  party. 
In  that  way  I  shall  bring  honor  upon  our  tribe,  the  mother  and 
leader  of  the  MEN  OF  MEN,  the  Hochelagas. 

Kwenbia. 

But,  Hiawatha,  will  not  the  enemy  come  in  return  and  kill 
some  of  us? 

Hiaivaiha. 

They  will  come,  they  will  lie  in  wait  for  us  among  the  islands 
and  reeds,  and  along  the  paths  of  the  woods,  even  up  to  the  wall 
of  the  towTi.  They  will  slay  here  and  there  some  of  our  braves, 
but  then  we  shall  hunt  them  again  and  bring  home  the  long  scalps 
and  the  trophies.  They  shall  be  hung  UPON  THE  POLES  BEFORE 
OUR  LODGES,  and  the  fires  shall  shine  upon  warriors  telling  of 
glorious  deeds,  and  we  shall  be  indeed  MEN  OF  MEN. 

Krvenhia. 

Thy  thoughts  are  the  thoughts  of  the  mountain,  but  I  am  only 
the  little  sumach;  I  hear  the  wailing  of  the  women;  the  widows 
are  many ;  the  mothers  have  blackened  their  faces,  and  the  virgins 
fear  to  go  into  the  corn  fields. 

Hiaivalha. 

Warriors  must  endure  these  things;  to  be  men  is  first  before  all. 

Kwenhia. 

And  what  if  the  enemy  should  kill  thee  also  in  the  woods  or 
among  the  reeds? 

Hiaivalha. 
Moose  loolcs  on.  Then  the  mother  of  Hiawatha  will  not  be  ashamed. 


I 


^ 


r 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  433 

Krvenhia. 

She  hath  but  thee. 

Hiawatha. 

Yes    ...    me  only. 

Krvenhia.  (Takes  a  silver  cross  out  of  her  breast  and  holds  it  up.) 
Tall  brother,  the  spirits,  my  people,  whisper  to  me,  "  Peace." 
My  Father,  the  Spirit,  when  he  gave  me  this,  taught  my  Mother 
that  the  Master  of  Life  hateth  war;  that  his  Son  is  Chief  of 
Peace;  and  that  when  wounded  he  smote  not  back  but  was  nailed 
to  the  stake.  That  is  like  that  one  the  white  ghosts  placed  upon 
the  mountain  top. 

Hiawatha. 

How  could  so  mighty  a  chief  endure  such  shame? 

Kwenbia. 

It  is  the  teaching  of  the  Spirits. 

Hiawatha. 

The  wisdom  of  the  Spirits  is  wonderful. 

Kwenhia. 

If  I  ask  for  something  wilt  thou  give  it? 

Hiawatha. 

Have  I  ever  refused  thee  anything? 

Kwenhia. 

A  white  bead  then  from  thy  belt. 

Hiawatha.     (Jumping  up.) 
Ah,  listen. 

Kwenhia. 
A  ghost. 

Hiawatha. 

Moose  (two  men  in  a  moose  skin)  inside  the  stockade  —  after 
examination.     (Calls  the  warriors.) 

Awilharoa. 

This  was  no  moose.     This  was  two  strangers  —  good  hunters    Two  men  disap- 
—  mighty  warriors.     They  came  from  the  sunset ;  they  must  be    ^^Y.f "     ^"^^  *  '" 

°     -^  ^  -^  and  escape  in  canoe. 

29 


434 


State  of  New  York 


Finds    an    axe 
examines  il. 


and 


followed  —  the  matter  is  grave.      Let  the  criers  call  the  braves 
to  council,  and  thither  let  Kawi  and  the  aged  men  be  brought, 

Kawi. 

I  am  the  last  of  the  children  of  the  founders  —  yea,  the  last. 
When  I  was  a  papoose  on  the  board,  as  my  mother  told  me,  we 
came  out  of  the  Land  of  the  Sun.  There  were  great  lakes  and 
falls,  corn-fields,  and  much  red  copper  and  red  stone  for  pipes, 
the  holy  gift  of  the  Master  of  Life.  It  was  the  land  of  tKe 
Hurons,  our  forefathers.  The  Holder  of  the  Heavens  said:  "  Ye 
must  build  canoes  and  sail  down  the  river  towards  the  sunrise.  I 
have  made  for  you  an  island  on  a  great  river,  full  of  herds  of  deer 
and  monstrous  sturgeons  and  Maskenonzay  and  lofty  forests. 
For  ye  are  the  men  of  men.  Thus  were  we  led  to  the  Sacred 
Island  Tiotiake  on  which  we  built  Hochelaga.  Our  chief  was 
Tehari,  the  eloquent,  the  ancestor  of  Tekarihoken  who  is  here. 

Now  the  totem  of  this  axe  (holds  it  up  and  points  to  handle), 
which  it  bears  on  its  handle,  is  the  Crane.  These  strangers  are 
of  our  kindred,  Hurons. 


Tlie  axe  of  the 
Hurons. 


lakonon    orders   the 
pursuit  of  the 
enemy. 


American  Horse  as 
Awilharoa  counsels 
moderation. 


lakonon  (roars  out). 

Kinsmen  come  not  as  spies  in  moose  skins.  The  kinsmen  who 
do  this  would  slay  us  if  they  could.  Let  the  swiftest  runners  seek 
their  tracks,  and  let  all  strangers,  and  especially  these  treacherous 
Hurons,  understand  well  that  it  is  best  to  keep  far  from  our 
country. 

Afilharoa. 

My  children,  our  fathers  said  "  Kindred  must  not  be 
destroyed."  If  the  men  be  found  ye  must  offer  them  the  pipe  and 
receive  them  by  fires;  ye  must  share  with  them  the  pottage  that  is 
ready.  But  their  trail  must  first  be  found.  Let  warriors  who  have 
taken  scalps  or  won  races  follow  them,  and,  finding  them,  offer 
the  pipe,  for  the  laws  of  peace  are  the  people's  safety  as  well  as 
Warrior  finds  trail,  the  laws  of  war.  But  every  night  the  gate-keepers  must  now  keep 
watch  by  turns  at  the  gate  and  along  the  top  of  the  wall. 

Kami. 

No  such  trouble  hath  come  since  the  visit  of  the  MEN-ELATING 
ghosts  to  this  Island.  (Terror  and  commotion  throughout  the 
assembly.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


435 


Lift  up  behind  her 
a    large   French 
cross,  with  shield 
inscribed    Francis 
Rex,  and  fleurs-de- 
lis  on   the  cross. 


Katvi. 

It  is  like  it.  In  the  time  of  Kwenhia's  grandmother  came  the 
men-eating  ghosts  to  the  town.  They  left  this  behind  them.  They 
came  from  the  sunrise  out  of  the  great  water  in  great  canoes, 
pushed  by  white  clouds  of  white  skin.  By  their  faces,  we  knew 
they  were  ghosts;  at  first  we  took  them  for  gods,  for  they  brought 
thunder  in  their  hands  and  hghtning,  which  came  out  of  their  fire 
sticks,  and  gave  gifts  and  spoke  softly.  We  received  them  at  the 
river  and  brought  them  into  the  town  and  up  to  the  top  of  the 
mountain.  We  gave  them  our  best.  The  chief  of  the  ghosts 
spoke  many  things  to  us  in  the  language  of  the  dead,  healing  also 
our  sick  by  magic  with  his  hands.  Afterward  the  peace-chief  of 
Stadacona  and  some  of  his  people  were  carried  away  by  them  and 
eaten,  and  never  heard  of  again,  and  such  was  their  intention 
toward  us. 

Some  of  the  Stadaconans  pretended  they  were  white  men,  and 
NO  men  have  canoes  with  thunder  and  lightning  in  them.  Now, 
these  Moose  men,  see  how  they  too  will  bring  us  afHictionI  This 
is  my  v«sdom  —  to  compare  one  event  with  another. 

Crier. 

The  six  Algonquins  are  ready! 


The  While  Spiriu 
visit  Jacques  Car- 
lier  in  1535. 


Black  Wolverine 
and  his  men  are 

Hiawatha  and  his  men  are  getting  ready  when  a  cry  is  heard,    ready  when  there  is 
(^War  ^  heard    the   war   cry 

^  ■•'  of  a  warrior. 

Man  approaching  in  canoe  cries  — 
Koweh!  Koweh!  War!  War! 


lakonon. 

Koweh!  Koweh! 

Answer  —  Koweh ! 
Koweh ! 


(All  mounting  fortifications.)     Koweh! 


lakonon,  the  Buffalo. 
What  is  it  my  brother? 

Warrior  (says) 

At  the  Lake  —  above  the  great  Rapid.  Last  night  as  I  passed 
the  wood  I  saw  a  canoe  of  elm-bark  of  five  paddles  —  two  men 
slept  under  it  —  one  kept  watch.    They  had  no  fire.    Their  faces 


436  State  of  New  York 


Kwenhia  and  Onata  had  the  WAR-PAINT.  I  hid  —  covered  myself  with  moss.  Two 
Black  Wolverine,  o'l^srs  came  running  fast  through  the  woods.  Their  faces  were 
painted.  When  they  pulled  out  their  canoe  and  started  westward 
I  ran  out  and  hailed  them,  "  Okanaguen?  of  what  tribe  be  ye, 
friends?  "  One  rose  in  the  canoe  and  saying:  "  Of  the  Hurons, 
thou  coward,"  and  drew  bow  and  sent  an  arrow  into  this  arm;  the 
others  derided  me.  They  paddled  swiftly  across  the  Lake.  Their 
speech  was  strange,  and  yet  like  ours. 

lalionon. 

Those  were  the  moose  men.  Thinkest  thou  our  men  could 
catch  them?     Had  they  corn  or  meat  with  them? 

Brave. 

None,  I  think. 

lakonon. 
Black  Wolverine  They  must  stop  then  to  hunt  or  fish.     Away  braves.     Take 

watches     He  has      pouches  of  corn  around  your  necks. 

arranged     all     this;     '^  ■" 

le  IS  a  spy    ims     .        gjack  Wolverine  watches  very  closely. 

Black  Wolverine  and  one  of  his  men  exchange  signs  and 
nudges. 

Naked  hunters,  only  breech  cloths. 

As  Hiawatha  and  Black  Wolverine  leave 

Krvenhia  (says) 
Women  talk  to-  Would  better  it  were  war  than  this!      I   like  not  the  Black 

gether  of  their  dis-    Wolverine.     He  is  a  spy.  I  fear. 

trust  of  Black  Wol-  '^•' 

"""**■  (Women  make  pottery.) 

Onata. 

Little  daughter,  it  is  not  the  part  of  women  to  show  fear  for 
sons  and  brothers,  and  therefore  I  went  not  to  see  my  son  depart. 
Before  you  were  born  we  had  many  wars.  Every  spring  our 
braves  sang  their  songs  and  went  out  on  the  path  against  the 
enemies.  We  women  incited  them  to  go,  and  if  any  man  held 
back  we  danced  the  coward's  dance  around  him,  we  offered  him 
our  pots  to  boil,  the  hoe,  and  a  woman's  skirt.  When  our  men 
returned  victorious  we  met  them  with  crowns  of  feathers  and  sang 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  437 


songs  of  their  valor.  Happy  was  the  girl  whose  lover  brought 
home  scalps  or  wounds,  or  who  wore  in  his  hair  a  new  feather. 
A  mother  MUST  give  her  sons  to  war! 

Kivenhia. 

If  this  were  but  an  open  war!  What  if  the  Black  Wolverine 
would  take  Hiawatha  unawares. 

Onaia. 

He  will  not  take  him  unawares. 

(Q.  goes  into  gate.) 

Curtain  —  Five  Days  Later. 

Girls  who  have  been  gathering  nuts.  Girls. 

They  hear  a  chant.     (Girls  exclaim.)  Warrior  chanis. 

A  dirge. 

KaTonihares  —  the  swift  runner,  with  ashes  on  his  face. 

Tell  me  mothers  of  Hochelaga,  where  are  your  children? 
Those  that  ye  carried  on  cradle  boards,  and  that  ran  about  your 
knees;  whom  your  eyes  delighted  to  follow  in  the  ball  game;  who 
were  first  in  hunting;  first  in  war!  Maidens,  where  are  your 
lovers?  Where  is  thy  son,  O  mother  of  Shade  Karoneyes? 
(Mother  shrieks.) 

Where  is  thy  son,  Onata?  Where  is  Hiawatha?  the  pine 
tree,  the  pleasure  of  all  the  others.  (Wail  from  Onata.  Scream 
from  Kwenhia.     All  the  women  wail.) 

Five  is  their  number,  I  alone  am  left. 

They  travel  through  the  dark  of  the  woods  on  their  way  to  the 
happy  hunting  grounds. 

On  the  long,  long  path  to  the  West  they  go.  Across  the  dark 
river  behind  the  sunset  —  across  the  Dark  River  they  wend  to 
the  villages  of  the  departed. 

Aiviiharoa. 

Tell  us  Karonihares! 

KaTonihares  (says) 

We  camped  by  the  fort  of  the  Long  Rapid  of  Ottawa.     The    Karonihare's    story. 
Algonquins  were  boastful.     They  told  us  they  would  kill  more 


438 


State  of  New  York 


game  than  we  would.  We  killed  more,  much  more,  than  they. 
The  Wolverine  was  in  bad  temper.  Hiawatha  warned  me  to 
keep  watch  and  to  wake  him  for  his  watch.  I  was  very  tired.  I 
fell  almost  hard  asleep.  I  opened  my  eyes  and  saw  six  Algon- 
quins  standing  each  with  his  stone  hammer,  waiting  for  a  sign  to 
strike  together.  Wolverine  was  over  Hiawatha.  The  man 
standing  over  me  was  looking  at  Wolverine  for  a  sign.  My  arms 
had  been  taken  away.  I  gave  a  great  shout  and  ran.  I  heard  the 
crunch  of  the  hammers  and  the  groans  told  me  the  rest.  Hia- 
watha jumped  up.  I  saw  him,  stunned  and  bleeding,  stagger  to 
the  edge  of  the  rocks,  reel,  and  fall  into  the  Rapids  and  sink.  I 
escaped  to  tell  you  the  story. 

(Avengers  shout  and  strike  the  old  war-post.) 

Awiiharoa. 

I  call  a  Lodge  of  Silence  at  once.  Smoke  the  pipe,  burn 
tobacco,  pass  the  great  pipe  in  silence. 

A  witharoa. 

We  are  met  together  this  night.  The  Master  of  Life  has 
appointed  the  time. 

To  death  have  they  gone  upon  whom  we  were  wont  to  look. 
Sorrowful,  let  us  condole  together. 


Young  men  prepare 
for   war,    arming 
themselves. 


Indian  lamentation. 


Speakers   (to  Onata). 
We  are  sorry  for  you. 


We  will  avenge  you  though  it  takes 


years. 

Two  scalps  will  we  take  for  every  one,  and  more  unless  the 
Algonquins  make  great  gifts  and  explain  — 

Arvitharoa. 

It  may  be  that  the  Algonquins  will  punish  Wolverine  for  break- 
ing his  faith  —  if  they  do  not  we  will  punish  the  nation. 

Prepare  the  town  against  attack. 

Send  to  Hochelay,  Sekenonday,  Stadacona,  Satahdin.  Tell 
our  brethren. 

Let  messages  go  to  the  tribes  on  the  Lake  of  the  South  Wind 
and  the  Southern  river  that  runs  to  the  sea. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


439 


Curtain. 

Keraronwe  and  Tekarihoken  appear  on  ridge  after  having 
visited  the  scene  of  the  massacre  of  the  Hochelaga  hunters. 

Keraronwe. 

We  have  been  where  Hiawatha  was  killed. 

Tekarihoken. 

Our  brothers  who  went  out  hunting  with  Hiawatha  were 
scalped.  Clan  of  the  Turtle.  The  law  of  the  chiefs  commands 
us  to  avenge  our  brother  HlAWATHA. 

Wolfskv. 

The  spirits  of  Shade  Karonyes  and  White  Eagle  reproach  us. 

Wood-drift. 

Remember  our  slain  brothers. 

(War  dance,  sharpen  weapons,  arrow  makers.) 

Tekarihoken  to  Onata.  (Laying  belt  of  white  wampum  near 
her.) 
None  shall  reproach  us  with  remaining  slothful  in  our  sorrow. 
We  shall  obey  our  ancestors.  This  BELT  SHOWS  SIX  BLACK 
MEN  upon  it,  which  signifies  that  the  six  snakes  which  killed  thy 
son  are  already  as  good  as  dead.     Mother  adopt  us. 

Onata. 

I  take  you  as  my  sons;  I  adopt  you. 

A'witharoa. 

Young  warriors,  our  enemies  are  many,  we  are  not  yet  fully 
trained  for  war.     We  will  send  ambassadors  to  ask  for  reparation. 
Better  wait  than  be  defeated. 
Onata. 

There  can  be  no  reparation  for  my  dead  son,  but,  new  sons  of 
mine!   listen  to  Awitharoa.      Cause  not  other  mothers  to  mourn 
the  death  of  their  sons  needlessly. 
Afiiharoa. 

DeKaneweda,  go  seven  days  up  the  river  of  Sunset.  Make  a 
strong  effort  to  have  the  Algonquins  make  reparation  for  their 
misdeeds  —  if  you  caimot,  then  it  must  be  war. 

Curtain. 


Onata  adopts  a> 
sons   those   who  are 
going   to  avenge 
Hiawatha. 


DeKaneweda  leaves 
in  a  canoe  for  last 
effort   for  peace. 


440 


State  of  New  York 


Red  hatchet. 


Painted  scouts  of 
the  enemy. 


Three  Weeks  Later. 

DeKaneiveJa. 

I  have  returned  from  the  land  of  the  Algonquins!  The  Black 
Wolverine  was  there.  The  moose  men  —  spies  were  there !  I 
have  failed.  The  old  Sachem  Tessonat  counselled  peace,  but 
finally  came  to  my  lodge  and  told  me  that  the  Hurons,  the  far-off 
Ojibways,  the  Nipissings  and  all  the  Algonquins  had  declared 
war  against  us.  We  heard  the  war  songs  and  the  hatchets  strik- 
ing the  posts.  They  will  come  to  fight  us.  They  say  they  will 
torture  us  and  make  our  women  slaves. 

lakonon,  the  Buffalo. 

Get  ready.  We  will  fight  as  our  fathers  did.  They  are  ten 
to  one.  We  may  be  beaten  at  first  but  we  will  win  at  last.  We 
have  two  months  to  prepare. 

Young  men  in  ring.  War  dance.  Sing  chants.  Drive  RED 
HATCHET  in  post,  red  feathers,  black  wampum.  Big  drum.  War 
preparations,  lashing,  bark  buckets  and  carriers,  stones,  water. 

Alviiharoa. 
Let  us  sleep. 

Curtain. 

Interlude. 

Canoe  songs,  family  go  to  sleep.  Marriage  ceremony.  loe 
laughs  at  his  rival.     loe  courts  and  is  accepted. 

(Great  drum  sounds.) 

The  Siege. 

Hurons  and  Algonquins  crawling  up  but  still  out  of  sight. 

Pounding  corn.     Boys  shooting. 

Onata. 

The  gate!     The  gate! 

Shout  and  advance  of  Hiawatha  and  Awitharoa. 


Aiviiharoa. 

To  the  platforms. 


lakonon,  knock  down  that  pillar  of  dogs. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


441 


Enemy  retires. 

Tclcarihoken    places 
pole. 

Climbs  the  pole 
again. 

Cry   from  the   East 
End. 


Black  Wolverine 
hails  at  Onala. 


Buffalo. 

TTie  snakes.     (Action  —  knocks  them  down.) 

Keraronive. 

Shoot  belter!     Shoot  better  —  ye  are  sleeping,  my  friends. 

(Tekarihoken  leaps  over  and  scalps  one.) 

While  the  Hurons  and  Algonquins  are  in  hiding,  places  pole. 

Help,  help,  they  are  here  in  hundreds. 

(Black  Wolverine  appears.) 

Atvitharoa. 

lakonon,  place  a  sure  arrow  in  thy  bow  —  this  skunk  Wolver- 
ine hath  not  seen  thee  drive  it  through  the  moose. 

Blacli  Wolverine  to  Onata. 

Art  THOU  then  its  mother?  This  is  what  is  left  of  Hiawatha. 
See,  it  is  mine  now.  I  cut  it  off  his  head.  Look  upon  my  piece 
of  thy  son,  O  mother  of  Hiawatha. 

I  am  the  wolf  —  thou  art  an  angry  doe. 
Onata. 

Give  me  back  my  son,  evil  one,  give  me  what  thou  hast  of  him. 

(Shields  and  fire  put  out.     Sorties  in  attempts  to  get  water.) 

(Men  killed  and  taken  into  the  woods.) 

Enemies'  Herald. 

Surrender  Hochelagas,  you  have  no  water  left  and  we  will  let 
you  have  none.  If  you  surrender  we  will  give  their  lives  to  the 
women,  children  and  old  men. 

Rushing  up,  children  and  women  cry.  Never,  never,  cowards. 
DeKaneTveda   (answers  Herald). 

Hurons,  we  are  of  the  same  people.  We  have  a  woman 
among  us  who  is  a  grandmother  of  some  of  your  people,  and  also 
of  some  of  ours;  she  is  the  oldest  woman  in  the  tribe. 

Hurons  cease  when  they  see  pipe. 

Huron  chiefs. 

We  would  see  the  oldest  woman  very  gladly. 
(Carry  her  out  on  litter.) 


lakonon  shoots  and 
Wolverine  dies. 

Enemies. 


Dekaneweda  with 
pipe. 


442 


State  of  New  York 


To  Awitharoa, 
Great    Chief. 


Hurons  offer 
terms. 


Old  woman. 

I  am  one  of  yours  —  in  face  —  in  talk  —  in  dress  —  we  have 
the  same  Master  of  Life.  Make  with  us,  therefore,  a  league  of 
brotherhood;  we  will  give  rich  gifts  as  a  price  for  your  dead,  and 
you  shall  go  home  and  tell  how  you  have  found  nephews. 

Hurons  discuss,  and  later  their 

Herald  says  — 

Awitharoa,  Great  Chief,  we  honor  the  old  woman,  and  if  she 
will  come  out  to  us  we  will  take  her  back  to  her  people.  You  are 
our  cousins,  but  our  cousins  are  many  and  they  are  not  all  our 
friends,  and  if  we  have  too  many  friends,  of  whom  would  our 
young  men  obtain  their  scalps.  We  cannot  go  home  without 
scalps,  what  would  we  say  to  our  women?  How  shall  we  content 
our  allies,  the  Algonquins,  the  people  of  the  Northern  Lights? 
How  shall  we  pay  them  for  the  loss  of  their  great  chief  Wolverine 
and  many  others.  We  will  do  THIS.  A  sacrifice  is  necessary  to 
give  peace  to  the  spirits  of  our  dead.  Give  us  your  wise  Head 
Chief,  Av^fitharoa,  to  pass  through  the  fire,  and  we  will  let  you  go 
out  and  leave  this  country  safely,  but  forever  after  when  we  meet 
you  we  will  kill  you. 

Hoc/ie/agans. 
Never!  Never! 

Huron  Herald. 

Then  you  are  already  as  dead.     The  fight  will  go  on. 

(Hurons  disappear.) 

A  TDtlharoa. 

I  would  speak  to  all  the  HoCHELACANS.  This  night  the 
Hochelagans  will  fight  as  they  never  fought  before.  Remember, 
we  are  called  the  MEN  OF  MEN.  Those  of  us  who  go  to  our 
ancestors  will  not  be  afraid  to  tell  them  how  we  died.  If  a  breach 
should  be  made  and  the  enemy  get  through  the  wall,  remember 
that  I  have  set  the  children  and  the  old  people  in  the  barricade 
inside  the  gate.  There  we  will  fight  afresh.  If  ye  drive  off  the 
wolves  this  night  Hochelaga  will  be  saved.  But  if  the  place  fall, 
let  none  give  himself  up;  let  all  die;  our  Father  to-morrow  must 
not  look  upon  a  coward. 


Hochelagani  refute 
lennt. 


Awilharoa's    appeal 
to  the  Hochelagas. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  443 


Hurons  place  fires.     Axes  cut  down  stakes.  A  breach  in  the 

palisades. 

First  Algonquins  knocked  down  —  others  press  in. 

A'D>itharoa  says 

To  the  barricades. 


lawatha  comes 


All  the  Hurons  crowd  around  the  breach  —  when  Hiawatha    H 
and  party  appear  they  run  in  awe  —  Hiawatha  follows  to  west    ^-^'h  other  supposed 

'^       ■'      ^'^  ■'  spirits  and  attacks 

end    (Hurons   run).  enemy,  who   run. 

Awiibaroa. 

We  thank  thee,  O  Master  of  Life,  for  saving  thy  people. 

Hiawatha  (returning  from  chasing  the  enemy). 

Hochelagans  fall  on  their  faces. 

ATp'tiharoa. 

0  Spirit  of  Hiawatha,  most  revered. 

Hiawatha. 

Fear  me  not  —  I  am  no  spirit  —  I  am  Hiawatheu 

AlvilhaToa. 

We  revere  thee.     Who  are  the  mighty  ones  with  thee? 

HiaWalha. 

They  are  Hochelagans  from  the  Solitary  Mts.  and  our 
brothers,  the  Onondagans.  It  seems  we  have  not  been  too  early. 
Ye  have  no  water  —  Bring  it  —  Drink  in  safety. 

AxeilhaToa. 

Most  honourable  (placing  head-dress)  head  chief  do  I  make 
thee  on  the  field  of  battle  —  you  have  saved  the  whole  nation. 

All. 

Hoh.     Hoh.     Hoh. 

Awitharoa  to  Hiawatha. 

Tell  us  what  happened  thee  at  the  hands  of  the  Wolverine, 
who  is  dead  now  —  lakonon  killed  him  —  we  thought  thee 
drowned  in  the  rapid. 

HiaXoalha. 

1  thought  myself  drowning  and  I  knew  nothing  until  I  found 
myself  in  the  canoe  of  an  Onondagan  arrow  maker  —  he  had 


444 


State  of  New  York 


Hiawatha  tells  what    lost  his  nephew  by  the  Hurons  and  he  adopted  me  in  his  place  — 
happens    to    im.       g^  jj^_^j  j  ^^  ^^^  ^j  ^■^^  great  nations  of  the  Onondagans  —  but 

I  could  not  forget  mine  own  people.     The  Master  of  Life  told  me 

to  make  our  tribes  ONE  in  peace  and  war.     I  was  on  my  way  to 

visit  you  when  I  saw  marks  on  the  beach  of  Huron  war  canoes, 

numberless  as  ice-cakes  on  the  water  in  the  spring.      I   adopted 

the  ghost  stratagem  because  we  were  so  few.     But  why  do  I  not 

Hiawatha  hears  of     ^^^         MoTHER  and  KwENHIA?      (A  minute  silence.) 

the  death  of  his 

mother.  Onata.  and    HtaTValha. 

Kwenhia.  Where  are  their  bodies? 

(Hiawatha  sits  down  and  throws  his  robe  over  his  head.) 

Atvitharoa. 

Take  in  more  water!  Put  out  SENTINELS.  Be  ready  to  run 
inside  the  barricades.  The  wolves  are  only  frightened  away  for 
a  time.     Keep  yourselves  protected  from  the  arrows. 

Sentinels  cri; 

Koweh,  Koweh.  Indians  runs  behind  barricades.  Close  the 
gates.     Hurons  and  Algonquins  return.     Watch  the  barricade. 

An}ilharoa.     (Comes  out  among  them  and  says: 

Men  of  the  strange  nation,  ye  have  said  ye  will  let  my  people 
go  out  and  leave  this  country  safely  if  they  will  give  you  their 
Head  Chief  to  pass  through  the  fire.  Here  I  am  —  make  the 
fire.      (Page  100,  Master  of  Life.) 

Huron  Head  Chief. 

Awitharoa,  thou  art  of  a  race  that  has  courage  and  glory. 
We  are  sorry  that  thou  should'st  die,  but  the  spirits  of  our  dead 
are  in  misery  and  thy  spirit  following  after  them  shall  gladden 
their  hearts.  We  shall  keep  our  honor  with  thee.  Aguaron,  take 
the  great  Calumet,  tell  the  Hochelagas  that  they  may  pass  out 
safely  at  sunrise,  because  the  Fire-god  hath  accepted  the  flesh 
of  their  Head  Chief. 

Aivitharoa   (says) 

Tell  them  they  must  not  try  to  rescue  me.  I  have  pledged  my 
honor.  Tell  them  that  I  await  them  with  the  braves  of  old  in 
the  hills  of  the  Lake  of  the  Southwind,  where  you  will  rebuild 
Hochelaga. 


Awitharoa   offers 
himself  a  sacrifice. 


Huron  chief  to 
Awitharoa. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  445 

(Whoop,  calling  together  all  ihe  Hurons  and  Algonquins.) 

Hurons,  I  would  sing  my  death  chant. 

Death  song  of  Awitharoa.     Triumphs  of  peace. 

All  treaties  I  have  kept;  always  honor  I  have  maintained; 
feuds  I  have  allayed,  I  have  worked  for  the  happiness  of  my 
people. 

Huron  leaders  invocation  to  fire,  signal  to  Awitharoa  to  enter. 
Lies  down  in  fire. 

A  mlharoa. 

I  do  this  for  thee  Hochelaga.     I  do  this  for  the  little  children. 

Huron  mystery  men  rattle  bells  and  drums. 

Huron  chief  raises  his  hand.      Body  taken  from  fire.      Bury    Huron  Chief  orders 
him  as  a  great  chief  should  be  buried.     (Hurons  and  Algonquins    curable  burial. 
all  leave.) 

Scene. 

Departure  of  Hochelagas  for  Lake  of  the  South  Wind, 
(Champlain.)  All  cry  —  Farewell  Tiotiake,  Farewell  Hoche- 
laga, Farewell  good  peace-chief,  beloved  Awitharoa! 

lakonon. 

For  a  thousand  moons  and  more  we,  ourselves,  our  children,    lakonon's  threat  and 
and  our   children's  children   will   fight   until  no   Huron   and   no    ^'°^  '^'^^ 

^  revenge. 

Algonquin  remains. 

Curtain. 

Scene  Changed. 
Ten  years  later. 

On  Lake  Champlain. 

A  camp  fire  and  solitary  warrior  —  a  runner  from  the  Hoche- 
lagas enters  showing  the  pipe. 

Runner. 

Dekaneweda,  the  chief  of  the  Hochelagas,  sends  me  to  ask 
whence  thou  art. 


446 


State  of  New  York 


Arrorv  Maker. 

I  am  the  arrow  maker  of  the  Onondagas  —  who  adopted  your 
brother,  the  glorious  Hiawatha,  who  led  you  out  of  the  burning. 
I  have  come  to  welcome  you  to  the  land  of  peace;  it  is  wooded 
and  full  of  fastnesses.  There  you  can  defend  yourself  against 
the  Huron  and  the  Northern  Light.  Thence  you  can  send  your 
parties  to  attack  them  —  if  they  do  ill.  This  is  why  ye  have 
seen  my  smoke  in  the  valley.  Hiawatha  would  make  an  ever- 
lasting treaty  of  peace  and  alliance  between  you  and  the  Onon- 
dagas. In  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  river  you  shall  dwell.  Ye 
shall  be  called  MoHAWKS,  and  the  country  will  be  yours. 


The  Arrow  Maker 
visits  the  Mohawk 
on  the  Lake  of  the 
South  Wind. 


Tells  of  Hiawatha's 
proposed  con- 
federacy. 


Hatiria  shows  his 
haired  of  Hiawatha. 


Chief  of  the 
Onondagas. 


Curtain. 

Scene.     Eight  Years  After. 

In  the  land  of  the  Onondagas. 

Hiawatha  meets  with  envy  and  trouble. 

Hatiria. 

Arrow  maker,  our  gods  like  not  Hiawatha  —  they  hale  him. 

Arrorv  Maker. 

But  HE  is  a  god  —  was  it  a  man  who  could  lie  alone  in  the 
bushes  on  the  rock  of  Ticonderoga  and  hold  back  70  Huron 
warriors  by  fear?  Was  it  a  man  who  traveled  forty  days  v^dthin 
the  land  of  the  Algonquins,  who  walked  at  evening  into  the  vil- 
lage of  the  Torch  and  up  to  the  fire  in  the  lodge  of  the  Head-Chief 
Tessonat's  son,  took  down  his  war  club,  slew  and  scalped  him, 
and  left  a  feather  beside  him,  for  a  sign  to  our  enemies,  marked 
with  the  mark  of  the  Onondagas.  Does  not  the  war  club  of 
Tessonat's  son  hang  on  the  post  in  my  lodge! 

Surely!     Hiawatha  is  a  god! 

Hatiria. 

He  is  only  a  vile  Mohawk.  Not  such  is  Atotarho,  chief  of 
the  Onondagas,  the  greatest  chief  in  the  world.  He  is  a  true- 
born  Onondaga. 


Arrow  Maker. 

Hatiria,  False  Face,  I  am  a  lover  of  all  warriors, 
deed  is  great. 


Atotarho  in- 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  447 


Hatiria. 

Hiawatha  cures  by  roots,  curing  is  our  part,  and  we  cure  by 
the  drum.     He  shall  suffer  for  it.     (Hatiria  leaves.) 

Arrom  Maker. 

Hatiria  chatters  like  a  crow,  but  he  is  dangerous.      He  is  a 
coward,  but  he  can  hunt  and  wound  brave  men  with  his  tongue. 

Atotarho  and  the  Snakes. 
Haliria. 

Lightning  of  Onondaga.     Lord  of  all  nations.     Great  wolf  I 
What  meaneth  the  blood  scent  on  the  trail  — 

Alotarho. 

Hath  the  Cherokees  come  up? 

Hatiria. 

Nay,  nor  the  Huron. 

Atotarho. 

What  meaneth  thou? 

Hatiria. 

I  dreamt  last  night  that  the  Hemlock  was  trying  to  overshadow 
the  Pine  — 

Atotarho. 

What  was  the  meaning  of  thy  dream?     O  False  Face. 

Hatiria. 

The    Pine    is   Atotarho  —  the    Hemlock   is    Hiawatha.      He 
boasts  that  he  is  greater  than  thou. 

A. 

Hiawatha  does? 

H. 

Yea ;  he  sang  it  in  his  song  before  the  journey  he  is  on  —  that 
journey  the  direction  whereof  none  knoweth. 

A. 

But   he   is   an   adopted   Onondagan  —  the   son   of   our    good 
Arrow-Maker. 


448 


State  of  New  York 


H. 

Thou  knowest  not  what  I  know  by  my  magic.  I  follow  him 
on  that  journey,  and  I  see  him  paddling  to  their  sacred  Island. 

A. 

Still,  are  not  the  Mohawks  brothers  to  us  —  Hiawatha  has 
fought  well  for  us. 

H. 

It  has  puffed  his  heart. 

A. 

He  has  fought  by  my  side  —  we  are  brothers  in  clan. 

H. 

His  craft  is  deep.  He  rises  by  thy  help.  He  has  learnt  war 
from  thee.  In  my  shell  I  hear  him  boasting  that  he  goes  back  to 
their  island  to  build  up  his  own  people  again  and  make  them  the 
masters. 


Alotarho*»   snakes. 


Consultation. 


War  against  the 
Mohawks. 


Be  silent,  until  I  consult  my  oracles,  the  snakes. 
(Holding  up  a  snake.) 

What  sayest  thou?     Shall  it  be  war  with  the  Mohawks? 

Thou  wouldest  bite  me  —  Thus  the  Mohawk  would  do,  thou 
sayest. 

Now,  tell  me  shall  it  be  war,  then,  with  the  Mohawks?  Thou 
sayest  yes  —  Thou  givest  me  another  war  to  add  to  my  glory. 
It  will  be  war  with  the  Mohawks. 

Now,  shall  Hiawatha  die?  Thou  escapest?  He  is  then  to 
escape  —  Thine  answers  are  plain.  Hatiria!  I  shall  make 
war  with  the  Mohawks,  but  thou,  thyself,  shalt  deal  with 
Hiawatha.  Perhaps  he,  too,  is  as  they  say  in  part  god;  and, 
verily,  he  seems  sometimes  wiser  and  different  —  yea  and  braver, 
than  a  man. 

Hatiria. 

False  faces  —  It  is  to  be  war  with  the  Mohawks  —  Call  the 
people —  (People  make  no  sign  of  approbation). 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  449 

Scene. 
Hiawatha  approaching  in  his  canoe  —  sees  the  war  signal.  Signal  lire  on  rock. 

Little  Bos. 

Hiawatha,  Hiawatha  I     What  news,  Hiawatha? 

Hiaivatha. 

Why  is  this  fire  burning? 

Woman. 

To  answer  Atotarho's  yonder. 

Hiawatha. 

Has  the  Huron  struck  our  hamlets? 

Woman. 

Atotarho  strikes  the  Mohawk. 

Arrow  Maker. 

Son,  I  have  told  them  this  war  is  evil ! 

Hiawatha. 

All  war  is  evil  —  Let  us  have  peace,  we  need  alliance,  not 
defiance.     I  am  tired.     I  will  rest. 

(Hiawatha  sleeps.) 

Arrow  Maker. 

The  warriors  return  —  I  hear  their  chants  of  victory  —  the    Mohawk  prisoners 
scalpers  exult  —  This  is  the  work  of  Hatiria.  entering,  taunted 

with    lost    honor 

Mohawk  Chief  (Prisoners  enter).  ^^  treachery. 

Strike  hard,  ye  feeble  people.  Ye  are  foxes  and  muskrats,  but 
ye  snap  at  bears.  Ye  are  little  flies  that  know  not  how  to  make 
a  man  vsnnce. 

You  have  lost  your  honor  —  You  broke  the  peace  guaranteed 
by  the  calumet  —  You  will  be  punished  —  Your  scalps  shall 
wave  before  the  Lodges  of  our  men  —  the  men  of  men. 

(Hiawatha  springs  up.) 

Arrow  Maker. 

Be  still.  Leave  the  Mohawks  to  my  care  —  Go  thou  to  the 
Council. 

30 


450 


State  of  New  York 


The  old  Arrow 
Maker  is  merciful 
to  prisoners. 


Hiawatha  calls  a 
council. 


Hiawatha's  vision. 


The  War  chief. 


(Council). 


(Arrow-maker  gives  them  water  —  Drink  calmly  —  Pipe  to 
all  five  prisoners. 

Arrow  Maker. 

It  is  wise  to  be  careful,  we  have  broken  the  faith  of  the 
Calumet. 

To  all  —  Touch  not  these  men  until  the  Council  have 
deliberated. 

Hiawalha. 

I  call  a  Council. 

Hiawatha. 

Brothers  of  the  Hill  —  I  have  been  on  a  long  journey  to  the 
Northwest  —  I  have  communed  with  the  Great  Spirit.  He  has 
spoken  to  me.  Did  you  wish  a  proof  —  Hear  me!  In  my  vision 
I  saw  that  the  number  ye  have  slain  in  this  war  is  four.  If  this 
be  right  my  words  are  from  the  gods  — 

(Exclamations.)  I  see  at  the  head  of  the  four  who  are  travel- 
ling, an  old  Chief.  His  forehead  is  painted,  and  his  left  breast  is 
pierced  by  a  broken  arrow.  If  this  be  right,  my  words  are  from 
the  gods —  (cries  and  groans.)  The  youngest  is  a  youth  without 
a  feather,  but  a  hammer  has  crushed  his  skull  and  he  carries  a 
broken  knife;  if  this  be  right,  my  words  are  from  the  gods  — 
Hush. 

War  Chief. 

The  very  least  thou  hast  said  is  true. 

HiaTvatha. 

I  have  been  to  Tiotiake  —  I  fought  many  of  the  enemy  on 
the  mountain  —  I  killed  some  and  escaped  —  I  made  a  long  fast 
and  prayed.  I  heard  and  saw  what  I  told  you  in  my  trances.  I 
now  add  this  —  war  against  the  Mohawks  must  end  —  The 
prisoners  must  be  released  and  sent  home  with  large  presents  to 
the  relatives  of  their  dead  companions. 

(Mask  and  rattle). 
Haiiria. 

Chiefs  and  braves  —  The  False  Faces  also  have  taken  Counsel 
with  the  spirits.     I  dreamt  that  a  wolf  stepped  on  a  nest  of  rattle- 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


451 


snakes  —  They  tried  to  bite  him  —  He  gnashed  his  teeth  and  four    Hatlria"s  appeal 
lay  dead.     The  message  of  Hiawatha  is  from  the  Mohawk  gods    ^8^'""  Hiawatha, 
and  not  from  those  of  Onondaga. 

The  Double-Sighted. 

The  war  has  begun,  we  must  exterminate  the  Mohawks,  or    x^e  Double-slgKied 
they  will  punish  us.  <=•>'''  ^"^  '^"■ 

Atotarho. 

What  fear  ye,  Onondagans!  Are  ye  not  able  for  the  people  of  Atoiarho  for  War. 
the  Island?  Surely  the  prudence  of  Hiawatha  is  great,  but  it 
lessens  the  power  of  the  warrior  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  — 
Wherever  ye  hear  the  voice  of  Atotarho,  there  shall  ye  hear  of 
scalps  and  expeditions,  war  paint  and  battle  axes,  scars,  stratagem, 
war,  and  ever  war!    (rattles). 


Red  Wings. 

My  children,  seek  not  to  shatter  a  mountain  —  the  vision  of 
Hiawatha  the  truthful  cannot  be  set  aside.  What,  shall  men  dare 
to  reply  to  the  Great  Spirit?  It  is  necessary  to  fight  the  ENEMY 
—  It  is  wrong  to  fight  our  FRIENDS  —  I  am  not  proud  of  the 
Onondagas  in  this  war. 

Hiaivaiha.     (Bow.) 

War  is  wrong  if  it  can  be  avoided  and  is  not.  Too  long  have 
the  mothers  wailed  for  their  elder  sons  that  came  not  back  in 
summer.  Too  long  have  we  cut  off  the  fingers  of  the  captives, 
and  exhorted  each  other  to  make  our  hearts  of  stone.  I  see  a 
better  day.  Our  children  shall  play  in  safety  —  our  hunters  shall 
not  hide  their  trails  —  our  women  shall  sing  in  the  cornfields. 
This  is  the  way  it  shall  be  brought  about.  The  five  nations,  the 
brave  Mohawks,  the  great  Onondagans,  the  Cayugas,  the  Oneidas, 
the  mighty  Senecas,  will  together  make  a  chain  of  silver  of  five 
links  —  we  shall  build  one  Long  House  for  the  five  —  Ye  shall 
found  a  league  of  the  five  nations  and  bind  it  with  belts  of  wam- 
pum. Every  year  we  shall  meet  and  the  silver  belt  shall  be 
brightened. 

If  any  tribe  submit  to  the  league  there  shall  be  peace  with  it. 
If  any  hurt  not  the  League,  it  will  the  League  not  hurt.  But  if 
the  hindmost  cub  of  the  League  be  snapped  at,  woe  to  the  hunter. 
We  shall  be  feared,  but  we  shall  be  just  —  Wailing  shall  finally 


Red  Wings  supports 
Hiawatha.       Is 
ashamed  of  v/ar. 


Hiawatha's  success- 
ful  appeal. 


452 


State  of  New  York 


be  heard  no  more,  nor  blood  of  men  be  seen  in  the  woods   (All 
in  favor  of  it,  but  afraid  of  Atotarho.) 

Red  Wings. 

Hiawatha,  thou  speakest  of  a  League  of  many  nations  —  As 
the  sun  and  moon  move  slowly  across  the  lake  so  goeth  the  pace 
of  a  wise  Council.     Meanwhile  we  must  send  the  captives  back. 


Red  Wings  supports 
Hiawatha  again. 


Hiawatha. 

By  the  side  of  the  lake  there  is  the  white  stone.  Let  all  the 
people  meet  there  a  day  hence  for  council  about  the  League.  Get 
ready  for  the  war  path. 

Atotarho  and  Haliria  leave. 


Red  Wings  to 

Mohawk    prisoners.     OUr  people 


Red  Wings. 

Brave  Mohawks  —  enter  our  wigwams  —  shake  the  elbows  of 
feast  with  us  —  ye  shall  carry  home  wampum  and 
amulets  v^nth  which  we  would  undo  the  wrong  we  have  done. 


(Sends  them  home  with  presents). 

All  leave  but  Arrow  Maker  and  Hiawatha. 

Arrotv  Maker. 

Hatiria  hates  thee,  but  thou  art  so  much  greater  that  I  believe 
thou  wilt  be  the  victor  (pause).  I  hope  you  may  succeed  at 
your  peace  meeting.     The  battle  is  sometimes  won  by  the  wounded. 


Scene. 
Hiawatha's  confer-        White     StonE.      Mat    of     rushes  —  Hiawatha     seated  — 

ence  at  the  sacred        r>         i         r       i  •  i     i  r  i  i  r  i-  i     • 

while  stone.  bunch  ot  white  wampum   belt  —  rire  pile   ready.      Hiawatna  s 

„  .,  friends  around  him  —  women  and  children, 

r  allure. 

Atotarho  thwarts  Atotarho  comes  in  full  war-paint  —  young  men,  war-paint. 

him  by  starting  on   All  go  and  leave  Hiawatha, 
a  war  party  against 

the  Cherokees.  Hiawatha  takes  his  belts  and  goes  to  his  canoe  sad  —  Arrow 

shot  into  it  —  robe  over  his  head  as  he  leaves. 

Atotarho   (preparing  for  war  with  the  Cherokees). 

Ho  —  warriors,  who  are  not  afraid  of  enemies  and  war. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  453 


Curtain. —  In  the  land  of  the  Mohawks. 

Delfaneiveda. 

Girl,  what  has  frightened  thee  so?  Girl    frightened   ai 

the   sight    of    an 
C^trl  Onondaga  warrior. 

A  man  of  Onondaga. 

Dekaneipeda. 

Did  he  speak?     Was  he  painted? 

Cirl. 

He  did  not  speak  —  he  was  not  painted  nor  armed.  Strings 
of  white  shells  covered  his  breast  —  He  looked  good,  but  his 
Onondaga  feather  frightened  me. 

(To  three  women  close  behind). 
DefcaneJveJa. 

Light  your  fires  and  heat  the  cooking  STONES  red.  Take  down 
your  corn  ears  to  roast,  for  the  house  belongs  to  whoever  stands 
at  the  threshold,  and,  though  this  man  be  Onondagan,  he  comes 
with  white  shells  of  peace  —  (All  obey.) 

Warily  peeping  through  the  saplings,  in  one  hand  a  tomahawk, 
in  the  other  a  pipe. 

Dekancweda. 

Clan  brother,  Hiawatha. 

HiaTvaiha. 

Saigo,  Dekaneweda. 

Procession  of  Mohawks. 

Dekaneweda. 

Hiawatha  —  (Laughter.       Weeping    with    gladness  —  Shout    Hiawatha's  glad  re- 
Saigo   many   times  —  Hiawatha !      Several   times.      Passing   the    ^''1°°  1  ^ 
pipe.) 

Hlawalha  (says) 

Mohawks,  I  come  from  Onondaga  (silence).  (Threats  — 
fists. )  I  come  rejected  and  driven  out  —  I  am  henceforth  a 
Mohawk.      (Dancing  in  glee  as  they  hear.) 


454  State  of  New  York 


Delfaneiveda. 

Quiet !      Silence ! 

Seroniha. 

Let  us  go  forth  and  avenge  Hiawatha.     Let  us  burn  the  lodges 
of  Onondaga.     Hiawatha  shall  lead  us. 

Dekaneiveda. 

Quiet.     Silence.     Young  men,  listen  to  the  old. 

Hiawatha. 
Hiawatha  restrains  Assuredly  I  would  lead  you  if  I  spoke  words  of  my  own,  but 
lays  before  them  the  words  I  speak,  O  children  of  Tiotiake,  are  the  words  of  the 
his  plan  of  a  con-  Thunder  and  the  Sun  —  of  the  Master  OF  LiFE.  I  have  been 
on  a  long  journey  —  I  have  slept  on  the  low  shores  of  the  Salt 
Lake.  I  have  been  on  the  httle  river  of  the  Senecas,  thence  to 
the  full  flooded  river  of  the  Oneidas.  I  saw  their  strongholds, 
the  great  expanse  of  waters  and  their  palisade,  up  among  the 
mountains.  I  gave  the  sign  of  peace  —  It  was  not  returned. 
They  mistrusted  me  when  they  saw  my  Onondaga  feather.  Their 
bows  were  pressed  upon  me  when  a  chief  called  out,  Hiawatha. 
The  Oneidas  are  our  younger  brothers.  They  received  me 
gladly.  They  have  one  heart  with  you,  and  hate  the  Onondagas 
because  of  their  breaking  the  peace  of  the  calumet  so  falsely  with 
you.  They  are  ready  to  make  the  treaty  of  peace  with  us. 
Many  Onondagas  have  fled  into  the  land  of  the  Oneidas  because 
of  the  cruelty  of  Hatiria  and  his  false  faces.  Hatiria  tried  to  kill 
the  Arrow  Maker,  but  killed  another  man  instead.  The  Arrow 
Maker  has  fled,  awaiting  the  return  of  Atotarho.  I  collected 
there  a  pouch  of  white  shells.  I  came  from  there  by  the  river 
of  the  Mohav/ks  (that  river  will  be  yours),  arriving  last  night. 
I  heard  your  war  songs  from  afar  —  I  slept  and  dreamt  —  The 
Master  of  Life  gave  to  me  a  vision.  He  spoke  to  me  of  the 
future  of  our  race  —  He  told  me  that  we  should  be  conquerors 
for  a  time,  but  that  after  should  come  a  strange  race,  in  number 
like  the  drops  of  rain.  He  told  me  to  make  friends  with  them 
and  with  all  men  —  that  peace  was  better  than  war.  He  has 
spoken  to  me  before  in  other  ways.  I  have  spoken  his  message, 
which  is  a  message  of  peace,  peace  first  amoung  ourselves  (cries.) 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


455 


Atotarho  and  Hatiria,  the  chief  of  the  False  Faces  of  the  Hiawatha  wins  the 
Onondagas,  have  opposed  me  successfully  so  far,  but  most  of  the 
Onondagans  hate  Hatiria  and  are  our  friends.  Atotarho  is  a 
great  chief  and  I  will  yet  win  him  over.  He  will  make  full 
reparation  to  the  Mohawks  and  be  the  great  war-chief  of  the 
mighty  long-house  of  the  five  nations.  CHIEF  OF  Two  EQUAL 
Statements. 

Dekanetveda. 

Hiawatha,  it  is  not  easy  for  us  to  forgive  Onondaga,  but  thou 
art  a  true  Mohawk  and  we  listen  to  thee. 

Hiawatha,  Son  of  the  Spirits,  much  have  I  heard  of  thy  work    Dekaneweda     sup- 
for  a  union  of  the  five  tribes,  henceforth  thy  labor  is  done.     Stay    P?'^\  '.'^^    ''■°q"°'» 

.  ,  Conrederacy. 

thou  in  the  lodge,  and  our  Father,  the  Divine,  will  send  his  great 
light  unto  all  hearts  and  will  enable  me  to  lead  the  nations  into 
the  Long  House  of  Friendship.  Its  east  door  shall  be  at  the 
sunrise  and  its  west  door  shall  be  at  the  sunset.  Thou  hast  pro- 
posed and  worked  for  the  league,  and  thine  shall  be  the  glory  for 
ever.  I  will  finish  the  league,  and  though  dying  I  shall  have  a 
small  share  of  thy  glory  forever  in  the  assembly  of  the  tribes.  To- 
day I  depart  to  visit  the  other  nations. 


Curtain. —  Scene  in  Onondaga. 

Procession  —  Atotarho  and  his  war  party  return  with  the 
beautiful  Cherokee  captive  and  scalps  —  war  whoop  —  screams 
of  squaws  and  boys. 

Hatiria  and  followers  come  out  from  Mystery  Lodge. 

Aloiarho. 

Show  me  the  holes  of  the  woodchucks!  Where  have  my 
people  hidden  from  the  dogs?     Where  are  the  Onondagas. 

Where  are  the  rattlesnakes?  Has  the  Huron  stamped  them 
out  with  his  foot?  Has  the  Mohawk  chased  them  away  in  my 
absence.  I  see  only  women  and  children  and  aged  chiefs.  Lo, 
had  we  really  been  Cherokees  the  tribe  had  been  destroyed. 

Hai'ir'ta  (sententiously). 

The  cause  is  the  false  Hiawatha.  He  has  slain  one  of  our 
warriors.  He  has  led  away  the  Arrow  Maker  and  many  of  our 
people  to  the  land  of  the  Oneidas  and  the  Mohawks. 


Return    of    Atotar- 

ho's   successful    war 
parly. 


Hatiria  accuses 
Hiawatha  of  hav- 
ing driven  away  the 
Onondagas. 


456  State  of  New  York 


Atolarho. 

Hath  Hiawatha  done  this?  Is  it  true  that  the  Arrow  Maker 
is  gone.     There  is  none  other  that  can  make  a  war  arrow. 

Hatir'ta. 
Hailrla  accuses  Beware  of  Hiawatha  and  his  friends. 

Hiawatha. 

Aloiarho. 

Bah  —  cowards. 

Cherokee  (to  Hatiria). 
Tlie  CKerokee  girl        j^OU  art  a  coward. 

captive  calis  Ha- 
tiria a  coward. 

Hatiria. 

What  sayest  thou,  woman? 

Cherokee. 

Thy  words  have  the  sound  of  one  who  lives  by  lies. 

Hatiria. 

Strange  woman  —  who  art  thou?  Thou  shalt  die  by  fire  — 
False  faces  seize  her  (warriors  step  between)  —  No !     No ! 

Cherokee  Woman. 

Body  of  a  chief  —  heart  of  a  rat,  I  fear  neither  thee  nor  thy 
ghosts  —  Where  are  the  scalps  thou  hast  taken?  (Laughs  and 
turns  away.) 

Hatiria  returns  to  Mystery  Lodge. 

Atotarho. 

Red  Wings,  where  is  the  Arrow  Maker? 

Red  Wings. 
Red  WinRs  lells  "^^^  Cherokee  woman  may  be  in  part  right  about  Hatiria.   The 

Atotarho  that  Ha-   Arrow  Maker  hath  disappeared,  but  there  was  blood  at  the  door 
calTse^nhe^Ar^ow   °f  ^^^  ^°^S^-     Hatiria  loved  him  not. 

Maker's  absence. 

Atotarho. 

Where  are  the  others,  Sabjenwat  and  Nishen?  Where  are 
they? 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  457 


Red  Wings. 

Who  killed  them  I  know  not.  I  am  old.  The  blood  at  his 
porch  was  not  shed  by  the  Arrow  Maker  or  by  Hiawatha.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  kill  the  Arrow  Maker,  I  believe, 

Alolarho. 

Who  did  it  then? 

(Women  pass  with  deer  bone  hoes.  Cherokee  among  them. 
Hatiria  approaches.) 

Alolarho. 

Ho!      Hatiria,  where  are  the  scalps  thou  kast  taken? 

(Pause). 
WTiat  hast  thou  from  the  spirits —  (Cherokee  pauses). 

Haliria  (putting  shell  to  his  ear,  chants). 

He  was  born  upon  an  island.     He  was  born  a  Mohawk  —  he    Hatiria  tells  of 
is  no  Onondagan  —  he  is  a  treacherous  Mohawk  —  I  hear  the    approachine"  ^ 
Mohawks    approaching  —  a    large    war    party  —  Hiawatha    is 
among  them. 

The  two  chiefs  confer  —  A  hunter  comes  running  in  —  blown. 

Hunler. 

I  have  seen  a  large  party  of  Mohawks  —  I  have  trailed  them.    Scout  tells  of 
TTiey   are  marching  directly  here  —  (Excitement  and  prepara-    Mohawks    coming. 
tion.) 

Mohawk  Chief  approaches  v«th  pipe,  vnshing  to  be  heard  —    Dekaneweda's 
says  his  men  are  camped  close  by.      He  spreads  out  a  shining    P^*"^* 
band  of  white  wampum. 


mission. 


DekanerveJa. 

Great  is  Atotarho  the  Onondaga.     Great  is  Atotarho  the  war    Dekaneweda  tells 
chief.     I  am  Dekaneweda  the  war  chief  of  the  Mohawks.  Atotarho  that  their 

mission    IS    to    make 

The  MohaTvks. 

Great  is  Hiawatha  who  has  received  much  kindness  from  the 
Onondagas,  from  the  Arrow  Maker,  from  his  clan  brother. 


458  State  of  New  York 


To  Aiotarho  —  the  great. 

Hiawatha  is  true  to  Onondaga.  When  our  warriors  were 
singing  their  war  songs  and  preparing  for  battle  with  the  Onon- 
dagas,  Hiawatha  came  to  us,  peace  pipe  in  hand  —  and  said, 
Atotarho  is  a  great  chief  —  Among  the  Onondagas  we  have  many 
friends  —  We  must  make  all  the  Onondagas  our  friends,  as  we 
have  made  the  Oneidas,  the  Cayugas,  the  Senecas,  our  friends. 
Then  from  one  great  salt  sea  to  another  the  five  nations  shall  for- 
bid war;  they  shall  punish  all  those  who  do  injustice;  they  shall 
grow  rich  and  much  happiness  shall  gladden  all  hearts.  (Cherokee 
comes  up  and  listens  with  interest.) 

Red  Wings. 

Thy  words  are  good  —  often  have  I  spoken  to  Hiawatha  of 
these  things  —  Let  us  hear  Atotarho. 

Atotarho. 
Aioiarho  repulses  Here  is  my  answer  (holding  up  war  clubs  and  spear). 

the  friendly  advance 

of  Dekaneweda,  Hatiria's  DancE  — (Red  Wing  draws  away  Dekaneweda). 

the  Mohawk. 

Red  Wings. 

Come,  it  is  no  use  —  Hatiria  triumphs  again. 

Dekaneweda. 

I  return  to  Hiawatha. 

Hatiria. 

The  False  Faces  triumph,  our  gods  are  the  true  gods  of  the 
Onondagas. 

Cherokee. 

Cherokee  tells  Ato-        Atotarho,  you  are  being  led  by  a  poor  thing  —  Simple  it  is 

Ind^poiTrs  conTempI   '°  foretell  like  Hatiria,  for  I  myself  saw  the  smoke  signs  upon  the 

on  Hatiria.  mountains  whereby  the  approach  of  the  Mohawks  was  signalled 

and  in  my  land  we  do  it  much  better.     As  for  those  chieftains, 

think  ye  such  men  would  make  an  ignoble  use  of  the  calumet. 

Not  such  an  one  is  that  Dekaneweda,  not  such  is  anyone  that 

bears  himself  so  like  an  eagle.     This  tale  of  Hatiria's  is  like  his 

tales  of  the  ghosts. 

Apparition  of  the  man-eating  ghost  —  All  the  women  run  ex- 
cept the  Cherokee  woman. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


459 


Hatiria  attempts  to 
frighten  the  Onon- 
daga village  hy  ap- 
pearing as  a  spirit. 


Cherokee.     Rushing  forward. 

I  have  caught  thee  thou  god,  thou  ghost,  thou  evil  one.  Thou 
wouldest  frighten  us.  Thou  shalt  not  escape  me.  Come,  off 
thou  magic  robe,  come  off  thou  mash  of  chalk,  thou  hair  of  bear 
skin.  Aha!  wooden  face,  not  so  wouldst  thou  frighten  children 
and  women  in  the  land  of  the  Cherokees!  Coward  of  cowards! 
Man-eating  ghost,  disturber  of  villages.  Thou  art  brave  among 
the  Onondaga  women,  stand  here  and  face  the  battle  lord  (push- 
ing him  forward  into  the  presence  of  Atotarho.)  Hatiria  runs. 
Thou  liar!     Thou  rat!     Hatiria  jumps  over  the  cliff. 


Atotarho  (after  looking  over  —  smiling  to  the  Cherokee). 

Thou   she-bear  —  Atotarho  chases 

Hatiria   the 

Look  for  Hatiria  —  if  you  find  him  dance  the  coward's  dance    imposter. 
around  him  and  then  I  will  attend  to  him. 

Daughter  of  the  Eagle,  I  have  prepared  thee  a  place  in 
my  lodge  —  thou  shalt  be  perfectly  free,  like  the  women  of  my 
clan  who  dwell  with  me.  Who  wert  thou  in  the  land  of  thy 
mother? 


Cherokee. 

A  child  of  as  great  as  thou  art.     I  have  never  been  slave  to  a    The   Cherokee   ac- 
man  but  I  will  accept  a  place,  O  Chief,  in  thy  lodge.  AroLUs'^'odee- 

Atotarho. 

Post  sentinels  around  the  village.      The  Mohawks  may  return 
outside  the  tepee. 

That  night  —  False  faces  return  —  two  men  with  masks. 

False  Faces  —  ^'Tiere  did  she  choose  her  place?     The  other    y^o  false  faces  at- 
one points  to  it  —  Crawl  in  —  Hatiria  in  the  background  —  Kill    "^^P*  '°  murder  the 

hT-i  I         •11  I  I  Cherokee.      Atotar- 

er  sure  —  The  gods  will  bless  you.  ho  strangles  them  in 

the  tepee. 

Atotarho. 

Die  murderers,  cowards,  who  would  kill  a  woman  —  fit  fol- 
lowers of  the  snake  Hatiria  (Choking  an  Indian). 

Curtain. 


460  State  of  New  York 


Scene. 

Arrival  of  a  Cayuga. 

The  Cayuga  tells  of        Your  Hiawatha  is  among  us  —  He  is  honored  by  us  all.     The 

l^'thlm''^ '   '°'"'°°    Senecas.  the  Oneidas   and   Cayugas  have   formed   an   everlasting 

peace  pact  with  him.     Dekaneweda  is  v^th  him  —  We  have  no 

orator  like  him.     He  has  made  the  four  nations  one.      He  is  a 

friend  of  Atotarho.     He  hopes  the  Onondaga  will  join  the  chain 

Ti     /-L     1       J      and  make  it  one  of  five  links.      (Cherokee  comes  near.)     Where 
1  he    Cherokee   de-  ^  ' 

lermlnes    to    go    to    is  this  Hiawatha?     I  would  like  to  see  him.     He  is  a  great  man. 
Hiawatha    to   help   Atotarho  shows  rage  and  jealousy. 

(The  Cherokee  goes  away  with  the  Cayuga). 

Aloiarlio. 
Aioiarho's    indecis-        Warriors,   make  ready   for  war  with  the  Mohawks  and  the 
ion  IS  tormented  by   ^^^^  traitors.     Atotarho  makes  peace  with  no  one.  fears  no  one 

his  love  or  ti^e 

Cherokee.  —  stop  —  What  good  will  it  do  me  to  kill  Mohawks  and  lose  my 

own  warriors? 

Ah  —  woman  of  the  Cherokees,  bitter,  bitter  is  it  that  thou 
wilt  not  love  me  but  must  seek  for  Hiawatha  —  His  she  may  be 
now. 


During  the  Fishing  parties  are  formed  —  Tillage  industries  —  Pound  corn 

Cherokee',  absence.   —  Make     War     bonnets  —  Arrows  —  Paddles  —  War     cry     is 
heard  —  The  Mohawks  come,  a  great  band. 

Aioiarho. 

Arm  yourselves,  men  —  every  man  —  no  Mohawk  will  leave 
here  alive. 

Rei  Wings. 

Atotarho,  see  the  pipe  of  peace.     It  is  not  war.     It  is  a  council 
they  seek. 

Aiolarho. 
Hostile  reception  of        False,  false,  be  ready  every  man  —  Let  every  man  hide  —  do 
Hiawatha    by    the    ^^^  ^j^^^j  ^^^^y^  J  ^^  _  Women  and  children  get  back  to  the 

jealous  Atotarho  in  _ 

spite  of  the  pipe  of    woods quick. 

peace. 

Hiawatha  lands  and  presents  the  pipe. 

Atotarho  grasps  his  great  hammer. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary 


461 


The  Cherokee  melts 
the  heart  of  the 
fierce  Atolarho,  as 
she  proves  to  liim 
that  she  went  away 
for  his  sake. 


C/iero^ee. 
Atotarho. 

Atotarho. 

O  Woman,  is  it  thus  thou  hast  repaid  me  for  the  trust  I  placed 
in  thee.  After  spurning  me  you  flee  to  Hiawatha  —  O  Snake,  O 
Moon  daughter,  O  false  one. 

Cherokee. 

Atotarho,  knowest  thou  not  why  I  left  thee  —  why  I  went  to 
Hiawatha?  It  was  to  make  my  Atotarho  the  greatest  man  in 
the  world  —  I  bring  thee  the  headchiefship  of  the  Long  House 
that  is  to  shelter  all  the  nations. 

Hiaivaiha. 

The  custom  saith  —  It  shall  be  in  the  keeping  of  the  Prin- 
cipal Chief.      (Presents  him  the  great  pipe.) 

Atotarho  drops  the  club,  bends  his  head,  turns  away  his  eyes. 

Cherokee. 

Atotarho  —  my  Atotarho,  Chief  of  the  World ! 

Atotarho. 

O  Maiden,  look  not  at  me  so  softly,  brave  and  true  woman, 
not  I,  but  Hiawatha  is  the  Greatest  of  men.  Let  the 
Pipe  be  given  to  him. 

Hiawatha. 

Nay,  the  Council  of  nations  hath  chosen,  and  hath  chosen  the    Hiawatha  refuses 

■  T  II     I  1  1  /•        1       •      \  '"^    head    chiefship 

best.     Let  all  the  people  come  together  (gathermg).  "      "  ■ 


Here,  children  of  the  Sun,  we  build  a  house  of  living  trees. 
The  number  of  its  hearths  is  five.  Whoever  will  enter  its  doors 
may  sit  at  the  fire  and  the  women  will  bring  him  roasted  corn.  Its 
doors  shall  be  open  to  all.  The  Doorkeeper  of  the  Dawn  shall  be 
the  Mohawk,  the  Doorkeeper  of  the  Sunset  shall  be  the  Seneca. 

The  Grand  Chief  Shall  be  Atotarho  of  the  Onon- 
DAGAS.  and  his  successors  shall  bear  his  name,  and  the  Council 
shall  meet  at  Onondaga  yearly,  under  the  Pine  tree. 

No  one  of  our  nations  shall  oppress  the  other,  nor  move  it 
against  its  will. 


offered    him    by 
Atotarho. 


462  State  of  New  York 

In  wampum  shall  the  story  be  kept,  and  never  shall  it  cease 
from  your  memories  —  the  tale  of  the  day  when  ye  founded  the 
great  Peace. 

(End  up  with  Mohawk  songs  of  joy.) 

Curtain. 


(Scene  15  Years  Later.) 

The  men  are  greyer.     Runners  approach. 

Koweh,  Koweh!  The  Algonquins  and  Abenakis  approach  in 
many  canoes  —  painted  and  armed. 

Atotarho. 
Batile  of  Lake  Prepare,  warriors!      No  Algonquin  shall  return  —  let  us  go 

Champlain.  {o  meet  them. 

After  the  Battle  of  Lake  Champlain. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  island,  Champlain  and  his  men  depart 
with  their  spoils. 

Scene  —  The  Iroquois  return  —  Wailing. 

Atotarho  the  brave  is  gone  —  Dekaneweda  the  great  and  good 
was  destroyed  by  the  thunder  of  the  white  ghosts  —  The  gods 
war  against  us.     Burial  ceremonies  and  songs. 

Woe!  Woe!  Woe!  Hiawatha  foretold  it.  O  Hiawatha, 
return  to  our  councils.     Let  thy  Spirit  return. 

Curtain.  —  Next  season  —  Arrival  of  the  Dutch. 

Runner. 

Here  white  men  appear  from  the  south,  but  there  are  Indians 
among  them  —  See. 

Tekahiroken. 

These  may  be  the  men  with  whom  Hiawatha  told  us  to  make 
peace.  We  have  no  enemies  to  the  south  —  See  the  Mohawk 
feather.     It  is  our  o^vn  that  guide  them.     Joy  —  joy. 


The  Champlain  Tercentenary  463 


Mohaivli  Guides. 

These  are  friends  come  to  trade  with  us.  They  make  the 
thunder  and  lightning  and  sell  us  the  slicks  of  black  copper  to  fire 
them. 

See!  See!  (Strangers  land.)  Received  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling —  women  and  children  running  away. 

Teharihoken. 

We  fought  white  men  eating  ghosts  from  the  north  who  have    Arrival  of  Coilaer. 
a  flower  for  a  token.     They  came  with  our  enemies  —  The  Algon- 
quins,  Abenakis,  and  Toudamans.     They  had  thunder  sticks  like 
these. 

Dutch  Leader. 

They  will  never  defeat  you  again  —  we  will  give  you  these 
and  show  you  how  to  fire  and  kill  your  enemies  and  the  big  game 
of  your  woods  —  See,  how  it  is  done;  loads,  fires. 

TeI(arihoken. 

We  will  give  you  furs,  as  many  as  your  canoes  can  carry  —   Adoption   of   Cor- 
we  will  be  your  friends  —  Quote  Longfellow  —  We  will  make    '^'y  ^\  ^"  Iroquois. 

■'  .  — Irealy  or  incnd- 

you    a    chief  —  Corlear  —  Adoption    of  —  Shakes    hands    all   ship.    Belt  given  to 
around  —  Corlear  gives  presents,  sees  their  dances,  and  departs      °'^  ^"' 
—  The  Indians  fire  a  salute  and  sing  a  good-bye  song  and  dance 
the  snake  dance  that  he  may  have  a  prosperous  voyage. 


ANALYTICAL  INDEX 


Compiled  by 

CHARLES    Alexander   Nelson.   A.    M..    Head   Reference   Librarian   (Redied) 
of   Columbia    University 


ABENAKIS  feasted  by  Burgoyne. 
8;    the  paddles  of  Champlain's, 

275  ;   in  vision  of  the  past,  306,  308. 
Abercromby,  General  James,  Defeat  of, 

at  Ticonderoga,  by  Montcalm,  3,  34. 

134.  140,  158,  395-96;   attack  of. 

on  Fort  Frederic,  129;    flotilla  of,  on 

Lake   George,    157;     incapacity    of, 

158,    182;     sailing    with,    marching 

with.  1  69 ;    dying  with,  fighting  with. 

flying  with,  1  70-72. 
Aboriginal  history  of  the  valley,  385. 
Aborigines.  Lake  Champlain  a  paradise 

for     the.     4 ;      domination    of,     13; 

French  made  allies  of,  386. 
Absolutism  and  liberty.  Struggle  between. 

212. 

Acadia.  156. 

Act.  An.  to  provide  for  the  celebration 
of  the  Tercentenary  of  the  discovery 
of  Lake  Champlain,  as  recommended, 
39-40;  as  passed,  chapter  149. 
Laws  of  1908,  and  subsequent  pro- 
visions. 47-49;  as  amended,  chap- 
ter 44.  Laws  of  1910,  49-50;  as 
amended,  chapter  181,  Laws  of 
1911,  349 ;  extending  the  time  of 
the  Commission,  authorizing  monu- 
ments at  Crown  Point  and  Platts- 
burgh,  and  reappropriating  unex- 
pended balance  of  appropriation. 
349-50. 


Adirondack  wilderness.  The,  on  Cham- 
plain's  right,  148. 

Adirondacks,  The,  268.  336;  apex  of 
the  "  Canadian  shield,"  373;  tower- 
ing summits  of,  worn  down,  376-77. 

Advertising,  effective  and  economical, 
demanded,  56;  project  entered  into, 
59. 

Africa  in  1 609  and  1909.  329. 

Alaska- Yukon  Exposition.  The.  234. 

Albanel.  Jesuit.  389. 

Albany.  Meetings  of  the  Commission  at. 
55,  58;  raiders  near,  pursued  and 
defeated  at  the  lake.  391-92, 

Alexander  IV,  Pope,  recognized  the 
Gallican  hberties.  1  1  3. 

Alexander  VL  Pope,  divided  the  unex- 
plored earth  between  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal, 109. 

Algonquins,  Isle  La  Motte  once  a  camp- 
ing ground  of  the,  4,  315;  feasted 
by  Burgoyne,  8,  222,  228;  sixty, 
with  Champlain,  147;  ancestral 
enemies  of  the  Iroquois,  148,  151, 
359,  463;  the  battle  with  the  Iro- 
quois. 149-51,  168,  208,  223-25. 
361-62,  462;  Champlain  and  the, 
202,  207;  in  lowest  stage  of  indus- 
trial life,  208;  weak  allies  of  the 
French,  214;  the  tall.  217;  in 
vision  of  the  past,  306,  308;  Split 
Rock  the  boundary  between  the.  and 


31 


465 


466 


Analytical  Index 


the  Mohawks,  389.  See  also.  The 
Libretto  of  Hiawatha,  the  Mohawk, 
427-63. 

Algonquins  and  Hurons,  Battles  of,  with 
the  Iroquois  on  Lake  Champlain,  2, 
4,  118;  trade  meeting  of,  with 
Hochelagas,  in  pageant,  87;  Cham- 
plain's  alliance  with  the,  110;  on 
expedition  against  the  Iroquois,  359; 
visit  Quebec,  359;  up  Richelieu  with 
Champlain,  359;  French  drawn  into 
warfare  of  the,  with  the  Iroquois, 
385. 

Alleghanies,  Puritans  had  not  crossed 
the,  after  one  hundred  years,  271. 

Alleghany  River,  French  military  post 
on  the.    111. 

Allen,  Ethan,  and  the  Green  Mountain 
Boys,  Capture  of  Ticonderoga  by,  6, 
34,  35.  57.  118.  134,  140,  144. 
160,  173-74,  328;  started  from 
CrovvTi  Point  for  Montreal  and  into 
British  chains,  130;  Benedict  Arnold 
joins,  159-60;  Vermonters  have, 
198,  258;  a  home  ruler,  259-60; 
daring  visit  of,  to  Albany,  260;  in 
vision  of  the  past,  305,  308;  heroic 
statue  of,  should  be  erected  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  339. 

"  America."  hymn.  99-100. 

America  the  domain  of  savages,  126. 

American  Catholic  Church  desired,  1 1  3. 

American  farm  houses.  Hospitality  at, 
404. 

American  fleet.  Strength  of  Mac- 
donough's,  8. 

American  forces.  The  sick  of  the,  trans- 
ported from  St.  John's,  6-7 ;  placed 
on    Crab     Island,     23;      abandoned 


Crown  Point  and  retired  to  Ticon- 
deroga,  35. 

American  history.  Our  boys  and  girls 
should  love.  287;  interest  in.  stimu- 
lated. 318. 

American  navy.  Engagements  of  the. 
7.  8-9. 

American  patriots,   Domination  of,    1 3. 

American  people.  Interest  of,  in  histori- 
cal celebrations,    13-14. 

American  Revolution.  Victory  of  Eng- 
land over  France  made  the,  possible, 
124;  spirit  of  the,  145;  effect  of, 
on  the  Canadian  colonies,  245. 

American  unity,  235,  260. 

Americans,  Indomitable  spirit  of  the, 
1 44-45 .  vvhat  we  owe  to  a  few 
men,  177;  have  a  duty  abroad  as 
well  as  at  home,  1 78 ;  fellow- 
ship of  Canadians  and,  204. 

Amherst.  Gen.  Jeffrey,  commanded 
British  forces  as  successor  to  Gen. 
Abercromby,  3 ;  victory  of,  at  Ticon- 
deroga, 3,  34-35,  140,  144;  rebuilt 
Fort  Frederic,  35.  118,  129;  in  the 
vision  of  the  past,  305,  308;  in  com- 
mand in  the  valley,  396. 

Amusement  features.  Proper,  to  be  pro- 
vided, 56. 

Ancient  Order  of  Foresters  attend  high 
mass  at  Ste.  Anne's  Chapel,  312. 

Anderson,  A.,  first  American  wood  en- 
graver, 409. 

Anniversaries  of  historic  events.  Mark- 
ing of,  with  celebrations,   I  3. 

Anniversary  of  1 909,  Significance  of 
the,  38. 

Antaeus,  The  Greek  myth  of,  1 22. 

Antarctic  continent.  Value  of  the,  240. 


Analytical  Index 


467 


Appalachians,  The,  crumpled  into  moun- 
tain waves,  373. 

Appropriation  from  Federal  government. 
Secretary  Root  ready  to  recommend 
an,  25;    amount  of,  44,  317. 

Appropriations  for  New  York  Commis- 
sions, 22,  43,  48. 

Appropriations,  Suitable,  expected  from 
New  York  State  and  Vermont,  25. 

Aquatic  pageant  suggested,  11.  See 
Indian  pageants. 

Aquatic  races  arranged  for,  60. 

Armies,  £lite  of  the  French,  English  and 
American,  270. 

Armstrong,  L.  O.,  manager  of  the  In- 
dian pageants,  86,  317;  additions 
made  by,  to  Lighthall's  "  Master  of 
Life,"  88;    success  of,  427. 

Armstrong,  Samuel  Chapman,  on  num- 
ber of  Indians  living,  121. 

Arnold,  Captain  Benedict,  seized  a 
sloop  on  Lake  Champlain,  near  St. 
John's,  6,  34 ;  naval  engagements  of, 
at  Valcour  Island,  7,  23.  34,  57. 
119,  134,  141,  161,  227,  328; 
wrote  to  Gen.  Gates  from  Schuyler  s 
Island,  23 ;  started  from  Crown 
Point  on  his  naval  engagements,  1  30, 
161;  and  returned  to  it  from  his 
Canadian  campaign,  1  30 ;  with  Allen 
at  Ticonderoga,  159^60;  expedition 
of,  against  Quebec,  a  failure,  1 60, 
186;  wounded,  160,  162-63;  the 
Arnold  of  Lake  Champlain,  1 63, 
1  74 ;  in  vision  of  the  past,  305,  308 ; 
fleet  of,  at  Isle  La  Motte,  316;  en- 
countered Indians  at  Windmill  Point, 
316. 


Arquebus.  The,  of  Champlain,  89,  121, 
168,  208,  224-25,  304,  307,  361  ; 
began  the  momentous  conflict,  210. 

Asia  in  1609  and  1909,  329. 

Assomption's  capes  and  bays,  2 1  7. 

Astrolabe.  Champlain's,  57. 

Atkins,  Rev.  G.  G.,  D.D.,  preached 
at  First  Congregational  Church,  Bur- 
lington, Vi..  101. 

Atlantic,  The,  the  sea  of  darkness,  147. 

Atlantic  coast  explored  by  Verrazano 
and  claimed  for  France,  1  1  0. 

Aubin,  Rev.  T.  U.,  officiated  at  vesper 
service  at  Burlington  on  Champlain 
Sunday,  101. 

Ausable,  The  swift,  133,  221. 

Austin,  Mr.,  competing  architect,  345. 

Australia,  329. 

Aylmer,  Mathew,  5th  Lord.  Governor 
of  Canada,  author  of  inscription  to 
Montcalm.   183. 

Aztecs.  Tribal  government  of,  over- 
turned by  Spain.  210. 

BACON.  Francis.  Modern  science 
began  with.  329. 

Baiae.  Bay  of,   141. 

Bailey,  Horace  W.,  member  of  Ver- 
mont Commission,  16,  28,  52. 

Baker.  Remember,  at  Fort  Frederic, 
130;  258.  259;  Boulder  Monument 
to,  333. 

Balboa,  Vasco  Nunez  de,  discoverer  of 
the  Pacific,  264. 

Banners,  historic.  Use  of,  in  the  decora- 
tions, 73-74. 

Banquet  at  Burlington,  280-97:  Dec- 
orations, 280;  Governor  Proufy,  pre- 


468 


Analytical  Index 


siding,  introduced  Pres.  Taft,  281  ; 
speech  of  Pres.  Taft,  282-85;  in- 
troduction of  Gov.  Hughes,  285-86; 
remarks  by  Gov.  Hughes,  286-88; 
introduction  of  Ambassador  Jusse- 
rand,  289;  remarks  of  M.  Jusse- 
rand.  289-90;  introduction  of  Am- 
bassador Bryce,  29 1  ;  remarks  of 
Mr.  Bryce,  291-93;  presentation  of 
Rodolphe  Lemieux,  293;  toast: 
"  Canada,"  by  Rodolphe  Lemieux, 
293-97. 

Banquet  Committee  announced  progress 
of  arrangements,  62;  ante-prandial 
arrangements  by  Messrs.  Frawley  and 
Foley,  249. 

Banquet,  July  7th.  to  President  Taft, 
at  Hotel  Champlain,  233-49: 
Decorations  and  guests,  233;  Gover- 
nor Hughes  as  toastmaster,  234-35; 
President  Taft  on  "  The  United 
States,"  235-37;  Ambassador  Jusse- 
rand  introduced,  237-38;  remarks 
of  Ambassador  Jusserand,  238-39; 
Gov.  Hughes,  introducing  Ambassa- 
dor Bryce,  239;  remarks  of  Mr. 
Bryce,  239-42;  Gov.  Hughes,  in- 
troducing Rodolphe  Lemieux,  242; 
M.  Lemieux  on  "  Canada,"  243-47; 
Gov.  Hughes  introducing  Lomer 
Gouin,  247;  M.  Gouin  on  "The 
Province  of  Quebec,"  247-49;  ante- 
prandial arrangements  by  Banquet 
Committee,  249;  post-prandial  exer- 
cises of  high  order,  249. 

Barnes,  Alfred  C,  Address  of,  on  old 
Crown  Point,  1  26-3 1  :  First  visit  of 
the  white  man,  126;  other  points  of 
historic    interest,    126;     Champlain's 


battle  with  the  Iroquois,  127-28;    the 
place  for  a  monument,  129;    Fort  St. 
Frederic    and    its    history,     1 29-30 ; 
possession  by  the  English,    I  30 ;    the 
roll-call    of    independence,    1  30-3 1  ; 
exchange  of  sovereignty,  131. 
Barrett,  Rev.  P.  J.,  Sermon  by,  at 
Ste.  Anne's.  July  9th,  309-12:  Ter- 
centenary opened  with  service,  309; 
glory  of  the  Christian  hero,  310;    the 
religion  of  Champlain,  311. 
Bascom,  D.  C,  at  hearing,  341. 
Battle   of   Lake   Champlain,    in   Indian 
pageant,    88,    90;     tablet    in    com- 
memoration of,  399. 
Battle  of  Plattsburgh,  The,  1 63-64. 
Bay  of  Fundy,   Champlain  entered,   in 

1 604,  38. 
Beaman,  Hon.  S.  A.,  invited  guest,  57. 
Beaubien    established    trading    post    at 

Chicago,  272. 
Beaufoy,    Mr.,    author    signing    himself 
"A   British   Subject,"    411;     writes 
of  War  of  I  8 1 2  and  defeat  of  Sir  G. 
Prevost,  412. 
Beauharnois,    Charles    de    la    Brische, 
Marquis     de,    Governor-General     of 
Canada,  5;   built  Fort  Frederic,  123, 
129,  363;    granted  Isle  La  Molte  to 
Sieur  Pean,  316,  363;    false  report 
by,    regarding    the    Schuyler    family, 
392. 
Beaupre,    F.    O.,   member   of   Vermont 

Commission,  52. 
Bedou,  Sieur,  received  grant  of  Isle  La 

Motte,   316. 
Beekmantown  limestone.  The,  278. 
Belgium  of  America,  The,  1 86. 


Analytical  Index 


469 


Bellomont,  Richard  Coote,  Earl  of. 
Gov.,  sent  John  Schuyler  with  letters 
to  Frontenac,  392. 

Bernhardt,  Duke  of  Sachsen- Weimar- 
Eisenach,  visited  Lake  Champlain, 
422 ;  devotes  a  chapter  to  fortifica- 
tions on  Isle  aux  Noix,  423. 

Bi-State  programme  of  celebratioa  exer- 
cises. Official,  63-68. 

Bienville,  Jean  Baptiste  Le  Moyne,  Sieur 
de,  150. 

Biography  the  best  study  for  the  man 
of  action,  288. 

Bisaillon,  interpreter,  272. 

Bixby,  George  F.,  on  first  battle  of  Lake 
Champlain,  362. 

Black  River  limestone.  The,  378. 

Black  Wolverine,  loser  of  stag  race  wnth 
Hiawatha.  87.  428.  See  The 
Libretto  of  "  Hiawatha,  the  Mo- 
hawk." 427-63. 

Blanchard,  William,  settled  on  Isle  La 
Motte,  316. 

Blane,  Capt.  William  Newnham,  "  Ex- 
cursion through  the  U.  S.  and 
Canada."  410;  compares  lake  with 
Lake  Geneva,  and  Alleghanies  with 
the  Alps,  410;  on  Sir  George  Pre- 
vost's  defeat.  410. 

Block  House,  Fort  Ticonderoga,  345. 

Bluff  Point,  President  Taft  received  at, 
75 ;  Governor  and  Mrs.  Hughes  re- 
ceived at,  76;  arrival  of  representa- 
tives from  Canada  at,  77;  advocated 
as  site  for  monument,  340-4 1 ,  342 ; 
Commission  voted  in  favor  of,  342 ; 
vote  for,  reconsidered,  343;  New 
York    Commission    favored    separate 


memorial  at,  343 ;  Committee  to  act 
on,  344. 

Booth,  Hon.  John  H.,  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  22,  40,  50,  52; 
on  Sub-Committee,  23 ;  on  commit- 
tees, 51-52;  on  Committee  on  Liter- 
ary Exercises,  56;  portrait  of  Cham- 
plain to  be  presented  by,  to  a  French 
Society  at  Plattsburgh,  60;  on  Com- 
mittee to  Raise  the  Ro^al  Savage, 
85 ;  on  Funds  for  a  Monument  Com- 
mittee, 339;  moved  instructions  to 
Monument  Committee,  342 ;  on  Com- 
mittee on  a  Separate  Memorial,  344. 

Boquet,  Charles,  at  Fort  Ste.  Anne, 
389. 

Boquet  River,  see  River  Boquet. 

Bossom,  Alfred  C,  competing  architect, 
345. 

Bougainville,  Louis  Antoine  de,  at  Fort 
Ste.  Anne,  33;  scholar  and  soldier, 
181-82. 

Boulder  Monument,  Dedication  of, 
333-34;  dedicatory  address  of  Gov- 
ernor Thomas,  333-34. 

Bourlamaque,  de,  ordered  to  abandon 
French  posts  in  Champlain  valley,  3; 
at  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  33 ;  burned  Fort 
Frederic,  129;  wounded  at  Ticon- 
deroga, 1 82 ;  215;  in  the  vision  of 
the  past,  305,  308. 

Bourne,  A.  A.,  translator  of  Cham- 
plain's  voyages,  359. 

Boy  choir  from  Church  of  St.  Peter,  at 
Plattsburgh,  at  services  at  Isle  La 
Motte,   303. 

Bradford,  Midshipman  Gerard,  com- 
mander guard  of  honor  of  blue 
jackets,  76,  85. 


470 


Analytical  Index 


Brant,  Joseph,  A  descendant  of,  acted 
in  the  Indian  pageant,  89, 

Brazil,  Portugal  in,  211. 

Breboeuf,  Jean  de,  Jesuit  martyr,  123; 
inspiration  in  example  of,  2  I  3. 

Bressani,  Joseph,  Italian  Jesuit,  captive 
of  the  Iroquois,  387. 

Bridgman,  Maj.  Oliver  B.,  Squadron 
"  A,"  A.  D.  C.  escort  to  the  British 
Ambassador,   77. 

British  Ambassador,  see  Bryce,  James. 

British  Empire,  the.  Remarks  of  James 
Bryce  on,  239-40. 

British  fleet.  Strength  of  DowTiie's,  8-9. 

"  British  Grenadiers,"  Air  of  the,  204. 

"  British  Subject,  A,"  [Mr.  Beaufoy], 
on  his  visit  to  the  Champlain  region, 
411-12;  War  of  1812.  and  Gen. 
Prevost,  412. 

British  supremacy,  3,  6-8,  1 3. 

Brooklyn  Bridge,  Towers  of,  from 
quarries  of  Isle  La  Motle,  221. 

Brotherhood,  The  spirit  of,  1  64-65. 

Brothers  Four,  222. 

Brouage  rings  and  burns,  217;  birth- 
place of  Champlain,  355;  fortified 
by  Italian  engineers,  355;  taken  and 
retaken,  355 ;    salt  industry  at,  355. 

Bruyas,  Father  Jacques,  labored  at  Fort 
Ste.  Anne,  33,  389. 

Bryant,  Wm.  Cullen,  visited  the  Lake 
via  the  canal,  4 1  8. 

Bryce,  James,  British  Ambassador, 
guest  at  review  at  Plattsburgh  Bar- 
racks, 78 ;  at  Ticonderoga,  1  39 ;  re- 
marks of,  at  Ticonderoga,  1  83-85  : 
No  more  fighting,  183;  Wolfe  equal 
in  fame  to  Montcalm,    1 84 ;    a  man 


of  peace  amid  men  of  war,  184; 
three  nations  say  "  never  do  it  again," 
1 85 ;  remarks  of,  at  Plattsburgh  Bar- 
racks, 203-4;  Mr.  Root  has  last  in- 
stead of  first  word,  203 ;  our  time  to 
be  remembered  for  friendship  between 
nations,  204;  welcome  to,  and  music 
of,  the  Canadian  regiments,  204; 
guest  at  banquet  to  President  Taft, 
233 ;  Governor  Hughes*  introduction 
of,  239;  remarks  of,  at  the  banquet, 
239-42:  Extent  of  British  Empire, 
239-40;  England  settled  the  United 
States,  240;  admiration  for  the 
French,  240;  value  of  commemora- 
tions, 240 ;  men  to  be  remembered, 
241  ;  tribute  to  Champlain,  241  ;  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  241-42; 
the  reign  of  peace,  242 ;  Vermont's 
official  welcome  to,  255;  remarks  of, 
at  Burlington,  263-68:  Daring  of 
the  explorers,  263;  Champlain  and 
Hudson,  264;  wonderful  line  of  ex- 
plorers, Champlain  one  of  the  best, 
264;  "  the  gate  of  the  country,"  265 ; 
Green  Mountain  boys  and  girls,  265 ; 
defense  of  individual  right,  265  ;  the 
present  and  Champlain's  dream,  266; 
the  place  of  peace  and  quiet,  266; 
the  Switzerland  of  America,  267;  a 
region  to  be  conserved,  267-68;  Gov. 
Hughes  Dn,  286-87;  remarks  at 
Burlington  banquet,  291-93:  Thanks, 
291.  292;  the  fish  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain, 291-92;  Vermonters  and 
Scotchmen,  293;  returned  to  Wash- 
ington, 297;  represented  Great  Bri- 
tain,  318. 


Analytical  Index 


471 


Buckham,  Matthew  Henry,  accepted 
tablet  for  University  of  Vermont, 
335. 

Buffalo  Historical  Society,  The  home 
of  the.  326. 

Bulwagga  Bay,  claimed  as  place  of 
Champlain's  fight  with  the  Iroquois, 
74;   167. 

Burdick,  Mr.,  on  committees,  51. 

Burgoyne,  Gen.  John,  Expedition  of,  on 
Lake  Champlain,  8,  I  34 ;  defeat  of, 
at  Saratoga,  8;  censured  in  Parlia- 
ment, 8;  rested  his  army  at  Cumber- 
land Head,  24;  occupied  Point  au 
Fer  in  1777,  24;  invested  Fort 
Frederic,  35 ;  at  Crown  Point  after 
Saratoga,  131;  captured  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga  and  fortified  Mount  Defiance, 
140,  161-62,  174;  failure  of  cam- 
paign of,  1 62 ;  Burke  on  employ- 
ment of  Indians  by,  I  62  ;  feasted  by 
Indians,  8,  222,  229;  in  the  vision 
of  the  past,  305,  308. 

Burial  ground  on  Crab  Island,  23. 

Burke,   Edmund,   opposed  to  confirma- 
tion   of    French    grants,    1-2,    363; 
censured  Burgoyne  for  employing  In- 
dians, 8;    remarks  of,  in  Parliament, 
162. 

Burke,  Mayor  James  E.,  reviewed 
parade,  253-54;  Burlington's  wel- 
come, 256-58;  to  President  and 
guests,  256;  300  years  ago  and  now, 
256-57;  deep  waterway  project, 
257;    freedom  of  the  city,  258. 

Burke,  Bp.  Thomas  M.  A.,  officiating 
deacon  at  vesper  service  at  Burling- 
ton   on    Champlain    Sunday,     101; 


celebrated  high  mass  at  Ste.  Anne's 
shrine.  Isle  La  Motte,  312. 

Burlingame,  Anson,  in  House  of  Com- 
mons,   I  78. 

Burlington,  Celebration  exercises  to  be 
held  at,  27,  366;  religious  services 
in  cathedral  at,  27;  joint  meeting  of 
Commissions  at,  55,  58,  340;  fund 
of  $20,000  raised  at,  60;  Bi-State 
programme  of  celebration  exercises  at, 
66;  Indian  pageants  given  at,  86; 
services  at,  on  Champlain  Sunday, 
101,  253. — The  celebration  at  Bur- 
lington: Local  fund  and  programme, 
253-54;  Independence  Day,  253; 
the  French  societies,  253-54;  Patri- 
otic and  Fraternal  Society  Day,  254; 
President's  day,  July  8th,  254-55; 
Literary  exercises.  Gov.  Prouty  pre- 
siding, 255-79:  Vermont's  official 
welcome,  by  Gov.  Prouty,  255-56; 
Burlington's  welcome,  by  Mayor 
Burke,  256-58;  introduction  of  Gov. 
Hughes,  258;  remarks  of  Gov. 
Hughes,  259-61  ;  Ambassador  Jus- 
serand  presented,  261  ;  remarks  of 
M.  Jusserand,  262-3;  the  British 
Ambassador  presented,  263 ;  remarks 
of  James  Bryce,  263-68;  Rodolphe 
Lemieux  presented,  268;  remarks  of 
M.  Lemieux,  269-74;  Bliss  Carman 
introduced,  274;  The  Champlain 
country,  an  ode,  read  by  Bliss  Car- 
man, 274-77;  President  Taft  pre- 
sented, 278;  address  by  President 
Taft,  278-79;  parade  of  the  day  re- 
viewed, 280;  President  Taft  wit- 
nessed Indian  pageant  of  Hiawatha, 
280;  Commemoration  dinner  at  gym- 


472 


Analytical  Index 


nasium  of  University  of  Vermont, 
280-97;  local  societies  from,  at  Isle 
La  Motte,  312;  joint  meeting  of 
Commissions  at,  340;  Pres.  James 
Monroe  at,  407;  Miss  Frances 
Wright  on.  408;  described  by  Mr. 
Matthews,  409-10;  Capt.  Blane  on, 
410;  Gen.  Lafayette  at  laying  of  a 
cornerstone  of  college  building  in, 
410-11;  all  tourists  have  only  praise 
for.  416. 

BurUngion,  The,  lake  steamer,  praised, 
417.  418. 

BurUngion  The.  steam  cutter,  took  part 
in  the  naval  celebration.  76.  85. 

Burlington  Commercial  Club,  The  Com- 
missions guests  of  the,  25. 

Burnt  offering.  The,  282,  289. 

Butt.  Capt.  A.  W..  U.  S.  A.,  escort  to 
Pres.  Taft,  77;  at  banquet  to  Pres. 
Taft,  233. 

CABOTS,  The.  came  and  left  no 
trace.  209,  264. 

CaDY.  Daniel  L.,  Poem:  Champlain 
and  Lake  Champlain,  215-29. 

Caesar  a  man  of  letters,  181. 

Campbell,  Laird  of  Inverawe.  1  72. 

Canada.  French  occupancy  of  north- 
eastern provinces  of.  I  ;  might  have 
included  part  of  New  York,  2;  ex- 
pedition of  Montgomery  and  Schuyler 
against,  5,  6;  Gen.  Sullivan  aban- 
dons conquest  of,  6;  loss  of,  to  the 
French,  111;  how  held  fast  by  Eng- 
land, 1 24 ;  futile  plan  to  seize.  1  52  ; 
campaign  against,  planned,  153;  Eng- 


lish authority  established  in,  1 58 
prosperity  of,  is  our  prosperity,  285 
toast:  "Canada,"  by  M.  Lemieux 
293-97;  proud  of  Mr.  Taft,  294 
Canadian  citizens  in  United  States 
and  in  Civil  War,  294-95 ;  a  com 
mon  language  and  literature,  295 
the  dream  of  Hudson  and  Champlain 
296;  Champlain  governor  of,  327 
conquest  of,  ended  French  domination 
in  Champlain  valley,  395. 

Canada,  Dominion  of,  Sub-Committee 
to  bring  the  attention  of,  to  the  celebra- 
tion, 22 ;  representatives  from,  should 
be  invited,  25,  26,  366;  celebration 
to  be  held  at  some  point  in,  27; 
Premier  and  Governor-General  of,  in- 
vited, 58;  military  organizations  from, 
in  the  celebration,  58,  62,  78,  319; 
church  dignitaries  from,  62 ;  repre- 
sented by  its  executive  head,  63 ;  re- 
presentatives from,  with  military  aides 
in  uniform,  at  the  review  at  Platts- 
burgh  Barracks,  78 ;  English  in  name, 
French  in  tradition,  147-48;  home 
of  two  races,  1  65  ;  home  of  a  great 
people,  240;  Rodolphe  Lemieux  on, 
243-47;  Quebec  Tercentenary,  243; 
exchange  of  settlers,  244 ;  commer- 
cial relations  of,  with  United  States, 
245 ;  debt  of,  to  American  Revolu- 
tion, 245  ;   prosperity  of,  246. 

Canadian  boundary  line.  Conference  of 
Govs.  Moore  and  Carleton  over,  at 
Windmill  Point,   I,  24. 

Canadian  regiments,  James  Bryce  on  the 
welcome  to  the.  204;  reviewed  by 
President  of  the  United  States.  319. 


Analytical  Index 


473 


Canadian  shield.  The,  373;  edge  of, 
along  the  lower  St.  Lawrence,  374. 

Canadians,  urged  to  send  delegates  to 
the  Continental  Congress,  I  60 ;  Ver- 
mont's welcome  to,  255 ;  settled  the 
West,  272;  in  sympathy  with  the 
Indians,  272;  Gov  Hughes  on,  287; 
in  the  United  States,  and  in  Civil 
War,  294;  on  Isle  La  Motte  at- 
tacked by  Indians,  3 1  6. 

Canadians  and  Americans,  Fellowship 
of,  204,  230,  242. 

Caniaderi  guarunte,  Indian  name  of  Lake 
Champlain,  141;  "the  gate  of  the 
country,"  264-65.  327.  363,  389. 

Cannon,  Joseph  G.,  unable  to  share  in 
the  exercises,  68. 

Canoe  express.  Speed  of  the,  392. 

Canseau's  coast,  215. 

Cantlie,  Lt.-Col.  George  S.,  in  com- 
mand of  Fifth  Royal  Canadian  High- 
landers, 78,  84. 

Cap  Tourmente,  2 1  7. 

Cape   Breton,  Champlain  at,  356. 

Cape  Cod,  Champlain  at,  357. 

Carignan-Salieres  Regiment  at  dedica- 
tion of  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  4;  helped 
build  the  fort,  315.  388. 

Carillon,  Chime  of  bells,  in  Indian  tongue 
Cheonderoga,  "  Place  where  echoes 
dwell."  226. 

Carleton,  Governor  Sir  Guy,  Forces  un- 
der, assembled  on  the  Richelieu  River, 

6,  160,  161  ;  occupied  Crown  Point, 

7.  119,  130;  withdrew  troops  to 
Canada.  8,  161  ;  conference  of,  with 
Gov  Henry  Moore,  on  Canadian 
boundary,  24;  escaped  from  Mon- 
treal    and     defeated     Americans     at 


Quebec,  160;  naval  engagement  of, 
with  Arnold,  161  ;  with  whole  force 
in  Ticonderoga,    161. 

Carman,  Bliss,  The  Champlain  coun- 
try, an  ode,  274-77. 

Carroll,  John,  prelate,  in  vision  of  the 
past.  306,  308. 

Cartier,  Jacques,  discovered  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  and  ascended  it  to  Hoche- 
laga,  no.  121.  373;  sailed  from 
St.  Malo.  150;  left  no  trace,  209, 
210;  great  explorer,  264;  Cham- 
plain the  equal  of,  304,  306;  took 
possession  under  name  of  New  France, 
355 ;  ruins  of  settlement  by,  found 
by  Champlain,  358. 

Cathay,  Dream  of  pathway  to,  fulfilled, 
270. 

Catholic  Order  of  Foresters  attend  high 
mass  at  Ste.  Anne's  Chapel.  312. 

Catholic  Summer  School  at  Cliff  Haven, 
Portrait  of  Champlain  presented  to 
the,  60;  religious  service  at,  on 
Champlain  Sunday,  101-9;  address 
by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dennis  J.  McMahon, 
1 02-3 ;  sermon  by  Cardinal  GIB- 
BONS, 103-9. 

Caughnawaga,  Indian  players  from,  88; 
427. 

Caughnawaga's  dream.  The,  229. 

Cayugas,  one  of  the  Five  nations,  208. 

Celebration,  The,  Problems  of,  55; 
satisfaction  of  the  public  with,  56; 
enthusiasm  for,  6 1 . —  General  feat- 
ures: Military  and  naval,  and  the 
Indian  pageants,  73-90;  six  acts  to 
the  drama,  73;  flags  of  America  and 
of  France,  73-74;  Report  of  Mili- 
tary and  Naval  Committee,    75-79: 


474 


Analytical  Index 


The  Army.  75-76,  79-81;  the 
Navy,  76;  the  National  Guard,  76, 
81-84;  the  Canadian  Troops,  78, 
84-85 ;  the  review  at  Plattsburgh 
Barracks,  78-79;  the  naval  exhibit, 
85-86;  the  Indian  pageants  at  Lake 
Champlain,  86-88;  ''  Spectator  "  on, 
in  the  Outlook.  88-90;  Rodolphe 
Lemieux  on,  243;  a  unique  and 
many-sided  memorial,  279;  Gov. 
Hughes  on  the  value  of,  286-287; 
M.  Jusserand  on  the,  289;  closing 
exercises  of,  at  Isle  La  Motte,  314- 
35 ;  chief  fruit  of,  and  satisfaction 
in,  335. 

Celebration  project.  Evolution  of  the, 
13-18;  some  notable  celebrations, 
13-14;  motives  for,  14;  to  com- 
memorate events  of  important  his- 
toric lore,  I4-|5;  Frank  Lascelles 
consulted,  1 5 ;  first  official  actions 
taken  by  Vermont,  15-16;  members 
of  Vermont  Commission,  I  6 ;  Report 
of  the  First  New  York  Commission, 
21-40;  sundry  suggestions  for,  27; 
what  it  is  proposed  to  celebrate,  36; 
significance  of  the  anniversary  of 
1909,  38;  international  character  of 
the,  38;  Federal  recognition  and  aid, 
43-44;  legislation  and  organization, 
47-52;  unusual  features  presented  by 
proposed,  55. 

Central  American  Republics,  329. 

Chambly,  a  post  forty  leagues  from  St. 
Frederic,  394;  Stansbury  describes 
fort  at.  409 

Chambrun,  Capt.  de,  military  attache  of 
the  French  Ambassador,  guest  at  the 
review  at  Plattsburgh   Barracks,   78. 


"  Champlain;  a  Drama  in  Three  Acts," 
by  J.  M.  Harper,  59. 

Champlain,  a  poem  (JOHN  Erskine), 
323-26. 

Champlain  and  Lake  Champlain ;  a 
poem  (Daniel  L.  Cady),  215-29: 
Nouvelle  France,  215;  tales  of  the 
explorers,  215-17;  voyages  of 
Champlain,  217-18;  discovery  of 
Lake  Champlain,  2 1 9-22 ;  battle 
with  the  Iroquois,  223-25 ;  Indian 
place  names,  226;  the  Tubal  Cains, 
226;  the  Lake,  227;  the  battle  at 
Valcour.  227-28;  the  Valley,  228; 
the  war  feast  at  Boquet,  228-29;  a 
prismed  pendant,  229. 

Champlain,  Antoine,  sea  captain, 
father  of  Samuel,  355. 

Champlain  canal.  The  enlarged,  336; 
lines  of  packets  through  the,  418. 

Champlain  country.  The;  an  ode 
(Bliss  Carman),  274-77. 

Champlain  discovering  the  lake  which 
bears  his  name,  the  subject  of  an  In- 
dian pageant,  86. 

Champlain-Hudson  valley.  Slow  tilt  of 
the  entire,   382. 

Champlain  Memorial,  The  proposed, 
339-49:  Committee  of  N.  Y.  Com- 
mission on,  339;  Sec.  Hill  submitted 
a  review  of  the  sites  for,  in  the  val- 
ley, 339-40;  selecting  Isle  La  Motte, 
340;  Bluff  Point  urged  upon  the 
Commission,  340;  Gov.  Hughes  con- 
sulted on,  34  i  ;  report  of  State  Arch- 
itect Ware  on,  341  ;  claims  of  Ticon- 
deroga,  341  ;  advantages  of  Mt.  De- 
fiance, 34 1  ""42;  other  sites  considered, 
342 ;     N.   Y.   Commission  voted   for 


Analytical  Index 


475 


Bluff  Point.  342 ;  reconsidered,  343 ; 
resolution  of  Vermont  Commission, 
343;  appropriation  by  N.  Y.  Com- 
mission for  joint  memorial  at  Crown 
Point,  343;  Vermont  Commission  to 
contribute  balance  of  money,  343; 
gift  of  the  site  of  forts  at  Crown  Point 
to  State  of  New  York,  344;  Act  of 
acceptance  passed  by  Legislature, 
344-45 ;  lighthouse  selected  as  suit- 
able form  of  memorial,  345 ;  archi- 
tects submitted  designs,  346;  de- 
scription of  design  selected,  346-47; 
Bill  passed  by  Congress  authorizing 
erection,  348;  form  of  memorial 
near  Plattsburgh  under  consideration, 
348-49. 
Champlain,  Samuel,  first  white  man  to 
set  foot  on  soil  of  New  York,  1 ,  32, 
126,  142,  362,  386;  failed  to  claim 
territory  by  right  of  discovery,  1  ; 
firearms  of,  brought  enmity  of  the 
Iroquois  upon  the  French,  2,  89, 
121.  127-28.  346.  386;  the 
aborigines  a  startling  revelation  to. 
4,  363 ;  celebrations  in  memory  of, 
1  3 ;  opened  first  chapter  in  history  of 
New  York  State.  31  ;  followed  by 
missionary  and  trader.  31  ;  monu- 
ment to,  and  celebration  at  Cham- 
plain.  N.  Y..  July  4.  1907,  37-38; 
anniversaries  of,  elsewhere,  38;  erec- 
tion of  a  permanent  memorial  to,  55; 
astrolabe  of,  57;  commemoration 
medal  bearing  portrait  of,  «truck,  60; 
oil  portraits  of,  by  Mrs.  L.  Kirby-Par- 
rish,  60;  Cardinal  Gibbons  on  dis- 
coveries of,  1 07  110;  sound  colonial 
policy  of,  110;  heroic  deeds  of,  118; 


t!ie  "  Father  of  New  France,"  121, 
150,  269;  Crown  Point  the  place  for 
a  monument  to,  129;  the  valorous, 
132.  133,  135;  the  man  of  charac- 
ter, 143;  the  lesson  of,  146;  and 
party  of  discovery.  147-48;  had  no 
vision  of  the  future.  148;  at  once 
harbinger  of  war  and  discoverer. 
148;  at  the  battle  with  the  Iroquois. 
1 49-5 1 .  224 ;  impersonation  of  civ- 
ilization. 149;  incarnation  of  genius 
of  France,  1 49 ;  birth  and  charac- 
ter of.  150;  Parkman  on.  150;  his 
account  of  the  fight,  151;  the  White 
Chevalier,  167;  Seth  Low's  query  as 
to  place  of  battle  of,  with  Iroquois, 
and  note  on,  176;  navigator,  ex- 
plorer, honest  man,  1 80 ;  James 
Bryce  on.  184;  a  man  of  all  nations. 
185-86;  faith  inspired,  192;  Gov. 
Hughes  on,  199-200;  Jusserand  ex- 
tends thanks  of  France  for  honors 
done  to,  201.  203;  the  colonial  spirit 
of,  in  President  Taft,  202;  hated  a 
useless  quarrel,  202 ;  first  proposed  a 
Panama  canal.  206;  belongs  to  hu- 
manity. 206;  at  Quebec,  210.  213; 
inspiration  in  example  of,  213;  honor 
to,  and  the  chivalry  of  France,  2 1  4. 
234.  237;  the  Brouage  sailor,  217; 
the  man,  218;  the  "ships"  and 
"crew"  of,  219;  discovers  Lake 
Champlain,  219-23;  an  audience  of, 
with  Henry  IV  symbolized  on  a  float 
in  parade  at  Plattsburgh,  231  ;  the 
steadiness  of,  238-39;  a  colonizer. 
238;  died  in  the  city  he  had  founded. 
238;  tribute  of  James  Bryce  to,  241 , 
264-65 ;      of     Rodolphe     Lemieux, 


476 


Analytical  Index 


243,  269;  the  founder  of  the  Can- 
adian nation,  tribute  of  Lomer  Gouin 
to,  248-49;  daring  of,  263;  might 
have  met  Hudson,  264;  one  of  the 
ablest  and  best  of  explorers,  264;  the 
dream  of,  and  the  present,  266;  be- 
longs to  the  world,  268;  flags  of 
three  nations  honor,  269 ;  the  founder 
of  New  France,  275 ;  site  for  a  mon- 
ument to,  236,  279;  if  Champlain 
had  foreseen,  286;  the  high-minded- 
ness  of,  288;  a  right  man  to  com- 
memorate, 289;  statesman  and  mis- 
sionary, 296;  Rt.  Rev.  Prevel's 
tribute  to,  304-6.  306-8;  the  Chris- 
tian hero,  310-11;  the  religion  of, 
311;  the  spot  on  which  Champlain 
landed  in  Vermont,  313;  H.  W. 
Hill  on,  317;  voyager,  scholar,  sol- 
dier, 327;  navigator  and  explorer, 
346;  bronze  statue  of,  347;  famil- 
iar wnth  fortifications  at  Brouage, 
355-56;  learned  practical  naviga- 
tion, 356;  visited  Panamft  and  Mex- 
ico, 356;  E.  A.  Dix  on  visit  to  Mex- 
ico, 356;  to  Havana  and  Morro 
Fortress,  356;  voyage  with  Pont- 
grave  and  Prevert,  356;  up  St.  Law- 
rence to  Falls  of  St.  Louis,  356;  re- 
turned to  Havre  de  Grace,  357;  an- 
nual voyages  of,  357;  explored  the 
Atlantic  coast  and  entered  Plymouth 
harbor,  357;  made  maps  and  draw- 
ings, 357;  lieutenant  of  De  Monts* 
expedition,  357;  left  Quebec  with 
party  of  Montagnais,  359;  tells  his 
own  story  of  discovery  of  the  Lake, 
359-60;  of  the  battle  with  the  Iro- 
quois,   361-62;     named    the    Lake, 


362 ;  Governor  of  Canada  till  1  629, 
362 ;  first  white  man  in  Vermont, 
362,  386;  visited  Georgian  Bay, 
364 ;  first  white  man  to  see  Lake 
Huron,  364;  wintered  with  the 
Hurons,  365 ;  wounded  near  Onon- 
daga Lake,  365 ;  surrendered  to 
English,  365 ;  reappointed  governor 
of  Colony  of  Quebec,  365 ;  death, 
365 ;  accomplished  more  than  any 
explorer  of  his  age,  365 ;  Park- 
man  on,  366;  came  as  a  war- 
rior, 385-86;  holds  priority  as 
explorer,  386;  initial  expedition  of, 
barren,   386. 

Champlain  Sunday,  93-113:  Order  of 
service  for,  by  Rev.  John  M.  Thomas, 
93-101  ;  vesper  service  on  lake  front 
at  Burlington,  101;  other  services, 
101;  impressive  service  at  the  Sum- 
mer School  grounds.  Cliff  Haven, 
101-9;  sermon  by  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons, 1  03-9 ;  services  at  the  shrine 
of  Ste.  Anne,  Isle  La  Motte,  109, 
302-4;  in  Plattsburgh,  sermon  by 
Coadjutor  Bishop  RiCHARD  H. 
Nelson,  109-13. 

Champlain  Tercentenary  Memorial 
Lighthouse  at  Crown  Point,  N.  Y., 
Description  of,  346-47. 

Champlain  Valley,  Episodes  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  (Frank  Hayward  Sev- 
erance), 385-400:  Its  aboriginal 
history,  385 ;  Champlain  less  an  ex- 
plorer than  a  warrior,  385-86; 
gained  for  the  French  the  enmity  of 
the  Iroquois  federation,  386 ;  the  sec- 
ond episode,  the  cassocked  priest, 
386-88;    Jogues,  Goupil,    and   Cou- 


Analytical  Index 


477 


ture.  captives  of  the  Iroquis,  387; 
Jogues'  second  visit  and  death,  387" 
88;  third  episode,  the  founding  of 
Fort  Ste.  Anne,  388 ;  de  Tracy's  ex- 
pedition, 388;  de  Courcelles,  de  Sal- 
lieres,  and  other  soldiers,  389; 
Fathers  Fremin,  Pierron  and  Mgr. 
Laval  at  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  389; 
the  December  expedition,  389;  abo- 
riginal names  of  the  Lake,  389-90; 
the  Dutch  and  English  in  the,  390; 
spies  from  Connecticut  to  Lake 
Herocoies,  390;  Arent  van  Corlaer 
drowned,  390;  French  and  Indian 
expedition  against  Schenectady,  390- 
91  ;  Capt.  John  Schuyler's  raid, 
391  ;  1691  expedition  of  Maj.  Peter 
Schuyler,  39 1  ;  French  and  Indian 
raid  on  Mohawks  and  pursuit  by 
Peter  Schuyler  in  1  693,  391  ;  French 
and  Indians  pursued  by  Gov.  Fletcher 
in  1696,  391-92;  messengers  carry 
treaty  from  New  York  to  Quebec, 
392 ;  Capt.  Schuyler  bearing  letters 
from  Bellomonl  to  Frontenac,  392 ; 
services  of  the  Schuyler  family,  392 ; 
neutral  territory  ignored  by  French 
in  building  Fort  St.  Frederic,  392- 
93 ;  governors  of  New  York  recom- 
mended building  a  fort  on  the  Lake, 
393 ;  accounts  of  Fort  St.  Frederic, 
393-95 ;  Dieskau  and  Johnson  at 
Lake  George,  395 ;  siege  and  mas- 
sacre at  Fort  William  Henry,  395 ; 
Abercromby  repulsed  by  Montcalm, 
395-96;  French  retreat  before  Am- 
herst, 396;  Ethan  Allen  in  posses- 
sion of  Ticonderoga,  396;  French 
marauding  parties,  396;    French  set- 


tlement in  1 73 1  at  Crown  Point, 
397;  French  and  English  land 
grants,  397;  contest  between  New 
York  and  New  Hampshire  over  land 
grants,  398;  military  post  at  Platts- 
burgh,  398;  Macdonough  National 
Military  Park  established,  398:  in- 
scriptions on  tablets,  399. 
Champlain  Valley,  French  forts  and 
settlements  in  the,  1  ;  abandoned,  3 ; 
French  occupancy  of,  150  years,  3. 
363;  British  possession  of,  and  mil- 
itary expeditions  through  the,  3-4, 
363 ;  three  nations  contended  for,  4 ; 
first  settlement  of  whites  in,  4;  in  a 
state  of  ceaseless  inquietude,  8;  sig- 
nificance of  history  of,  13;  people  of, 
desired  historical  celebration,  1  3 ;  rich 
in  historic  lore,  15;  a  highway  of 
war  and  peace,  1  7 ;  Resolution  that  a 
permanent  memorial  be  erected  at  some 
point  in  the,  26;  historic  importance 
of  the,  31-32;  waters  of,  the  high- 
way of  notable  expeditions,  32,  364 ; 
described  by  Peter  Kalm  and  others, 
36-37;  development  of  the,  37;  his- 
tory of  the,  belongs  to  that  of  three 
great  nations,  38;  meetings  of  Com- 
missioners held  at  various  places  in  the, 
55;  great  scope  presented  in  historic 
events  of  the,  57;  co-operation  of 
people  of  the,  61  ;  the  heroes  of  the, 
146;  the  Belgium  of  America,  186; 
Lomer  Gouin  on,  247;  one  of  the 
hallowed  grounds  of  the  country, 
270;  the  valley  of  beauty,  the  high- 
way of  war,  328;  one  of  the  historic 
portions  of  the  continent,  363;  mili- 
tary and  naval  engagements  in,  dur- 


478 


Analytical  Index 


ing  Revolutionary  War,  364;    thrill- 
ing events  in   the,   must   be  recalled, 
367;   shares  a  common  geologic  birth 
and  progress  with  the  St.   Law^rence, 
372;    birth  of  the,  374-75;    second 
stage  in  history  of,   376;    open  sea- 
way through,  most  ancient,  376;    ele- 
vated  beyond   reach   of   salt   waters, 
376;    dark    ages    in   history    of   the, 
376-77;  ancient  rock  beds,  377-79; 
the  Great  Glacier  scored  and  scoured 
the,  379;    covered  by  Lakes  Albany 
and  Vermont,    380;   sunk  below  sea 
level,    381  ;   raised   a   thousand    feet, 
381-82. 
Champlain  Valley,  What  early  travelers 
said  of  the  (Ffwnk  Hayward  Sev 
ERANCe),    403-23:     Isaac    Weld 
403-6;     Timothy    Dwight,    406-7 
James  Monroe,  407-8;   Miss  Frances 
Wright,  408-9;    P.  Stansbury,  409 
Mr.   Matthews.  409-10;     Capt.  W. 
N.    Blane,    410;     Gen.    Lafayette 
410-11;       "A     British     Subject,' 
411-12;   Capt.  Basil  Hall,  412-13 
James    Stuart,     413;      Godfrey    T, 
Vigne,    414;    Rev.    Andrew    Reed 
414;    Charles  A.  Murray,  414-15 
Capt.   Hamilton,  415;    Caroline  H 
Gilman,  415-16;    Joseph  J.  Gurney 
416-17;     John    R.    Godley,    417 
Augustus  E.  Silliman,  417-18;    Hol- 
ley's     "American     Tourist,"     418; 
Wm.  C.  Bryant,  418;   James  Dixon, 
418-19;   Maj.  John  Thornton,  419- 
20;       Edmund      Patten,      420-21; 
Alex.  Marjoribanks,  421  ;  Julius  G. 
Medley,  422;    H.  H.  Vivian,  422; 
Bernhardt,  Duke  of  Sachsen-Weimar- 


Eisenach,  422-23;  J.  G.  Kohl,  423; 
Lake  Champlain  Association,  423; 
1 2th  annual  meeting  of  New  York 
Historical  Association,  423-24. 

Champlain  village.  Statue  of  Champlain 
unveiled  in,  37. 

Champlain's  battle  with  the  Iroquois,  2, 
89,  121.  127-28,  362;  the  sub- 
ject of  an  Indian  pageant,  86;  the 
site  of.  127-28. 

Chanler,  Lewis  Stuyvesant.  member  of 
First  Commission,  22,  40. 

Chapel,  The,  and  the  mass,  332. 

Chateaubriand,  Millet's  statue  of,  at 
St.  Malo,   150. 

Chatham  censured  Burgoyne  for  em- 
ploying Indians,  8. 

Chaumont,  Joseph  Marie,  Chevalier  de. 
389. 

Chazy,  Sieur  de,  at  Isle  La  Motte,  315; 
killed  by  the  Mohawks,  388;  river 
named  for,  388. 

Chazy  limestone.  The,  378. 

Cheonderoga.  "  Place  where  echoes 
dwell,"  Indian  name  of  Carillon, 
226. 

Cheverus  Jean  Louis  Anne  Madeleine 
Lefebvre  de.  prelate,  in  vision  of  the 
past.   306.   308. 

Chicago.  Beaubien's  trading  post  on  site 
of.  272. 

Chime  of  bells.  Carillon,  226. 

Chimney  Point,  Settlement  at.  5,  127, 
129-30,  328;  a  few  houses  and  a 
tavern  at,  405 ;  Timothy  Dwight 
found  one  decayed  house  at,  407. 

China  turning  from  her  slumber,  330. 

Chouteau,  Auguste.  built  first  house  in 
St.  Louis,  272. 


Analytical  Index 


479 


Christianity  first  introduced  by  Cham- 
plain,  31  5. 

"  Chronological  History  of  the  Cham- 
plain  Valley,  A,"  by  Mrs.  George 
Fuller  Tuttle.  59. 

Chub,  The,  in  English  squadron  at  Cum- 
berland Bay,   163.  164. 

Church,  The,  and  the  Stale  in  the  Philip- 
pines, 195. 

Churchill,  Sylvester,  once  owner  of 
Crown  Point,  32. 

Citizenship  of  French  descent.  Our,  201. 

City  Hall  Park,  Burlington,  Decorations 
at,  254. 

Civic  parade  with  historic  floats  reviewed 
by  mayor  at  Plattsburgh,  231  ;  re- 
viewed by  church  officials  at  St. 
Peter's  College  and  addressed  by  H. 
A.  Dubuque,  231. 

Civil  War,  Soldiers  from  Canada  in, 
294-95;    from  Isle  La  Motte.  317. 

Civil  War  veterans  greeted  by  President 
Taft,  280. 

Civilization  passes  in  the  vision  of  the 
past,  306,  308;  felicitates  Champlain, 
306.  308;  first  introduced  by  Cham- 
plain.  315. 

Clarke.  Dr.  John  Mason,  requested  to 
prepare  a  paper  on  the  geology  of  the 
Champlain  Valley,  62. 

Clarke,   Dr    John   Mason. —  The 

geology    of    the    Champlain    Valley, 

371-82. 
Clarke,  George,  Lt.-Gov.,  recommended 

building  a  fort  on  Lake  Champlain. 

393. 
Clergy,  Eminent,  of  United  States  and 

Canada,  at  Isle  La  Motte,  314. 


Cliff  Haven.  Suggestion  that  religious 
services  be  held  at.  27;  Service  at 
Catholic  Summer  School  at.  on 
Champlain  Sunday.  101-9:  Addresr. 
of  Rt.  Rev.  Dennis  J.  McMahon, 
102-3;  sermon  by  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons, 103-9;  Celebration  at  Catho- 
lic School  of  America  at,  191-96: 
Greeting  by  Pres.  Dennis  J.  Mc- 
Mahon, 191-92;  address  of  Gov- 
ernor Hughes.  192-93;  address  of 
President  Taft.  193-95;  address  of 
Cardinal  Gibbons.  196. 

Clinton.  Gov.  George,  energetic  for  a 
fort  on  Lake  Champlain.  393. 

Clinton.  Hon.  George,  grandson  of 
DeWitt  Clinton,  an  invited  guest,  57. 

Cloarec,  Mgr.,  of  the  Diocese  of  Bur- 
lington, 303. 

Cloven  Way,  The,  Sobapsqua,  Split 
Rock.  226. 

Colchester's  three-pointed  spear,  221. 

Collins,  Rt.  Rev.  Bp.  John  J.,  at  service 
at  Cliff  Haven  on  Champlain  Sunday. 
102.  103. 

Colonial  Army,  Conclusive  victory  of 
the.    143. 

Colonial  governors  short-sighted.  2 1  3. 

Colonial  legislatures.  2 1  3. 

Colonial  movements  lacked  responsi- 
bility. 2  I  3. 

Colonists,  The.  in  arms,  158-64; 
Franklin's  plan  for  union  of,  158-59; 
the  enmity  of  kinship,  159;  struggle 
to  command  the  Lake,  159-61; 
Arnold  and  Allen  at  Ticonderoga, 
I  59-60 ;  Montgomery  captured  Mon- 
treal, 160;  Arnold's  attack  on  Que- 
bec a  failure,  160-61. 


480 


Analytical  Index 


Colton,  Rt.  Rev.  Bp.  Charles  H.,  at 
service  at  Cliff  Haven  on  Champlain 
Sunday.  1  02,  1  03. 

Columbia  College,  once  owner  of  prop- 
erty at  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga, 
32-33,  407. 

Columbia  University,  Joint  meeting  of 
committees  at,  345-46. 

Columbian  Exposition  in  1 893  at  Chi- 
cago, 13-14. 

Columbus,  Christopher,  heads  a  wonder- 
ful line,  264;  Champlain  the  equal 
of,  304. 

Commemoration  medal  \n\h  portrait  of 
Champlain  struck,  60. 

Commemorations,  Value  of,  240-41. 

Committee  on  CrowTi  Point  Memorial, 
recommended  three  architects,  345 ; 
joint  meeting  at  Columbia  University 
selected  design,  345-46. 

Committee  on  Literary  Exercises  named, 
56;    aims  of  the,  56-57. 

Committees  appointed  by  the  Commis- 
sion, 51-52. 

Common  people,  Reign  of  the,  331. 

Communities  on  both  sides  of  the  lake 
claimed  consideration,  55. 

Conference  of  Governors,  261. 

Conference  of  sub-committees  of  the 
Commissions  with  Secretary  of  State, 
Elihu  Root.  25-26,  43.  See  also 
Federal  recognition  and  Sub-Com- 
mittee. 

Confiance,  The,  of  the  English  fleet  at 
Plattsburgh.  163,   164,  174. 

Congregation  of  St.  Edmond,  Fathers  of, 
at  services  at  Isle  La  Motte,  302-3. 


Congress,  The,  Committee  on  suitable  use 
of  the  remains  of,  at  Chimney  Point, 
Vt.,  86. 

Congress,   The,  steamboat,  411. 

Connecticut  sent  men  against  the  French, 
214. 

Connecticut,  Basin  of  the,  265. 

Conquistadores,  The  Spanish,  210. 

Contents,  v. 

Continent,  The  firs!,  373. 

Continental  Congress.  The  Great  Je- 
hovah and  the.  35.  144.  160.  174. 

Continental  Congress  praised  Benedict 
Arnold's  naval  engagements  on  Lake 
Champlain,  7;  Montgomery  urged 
Canadians  to  send  delegates  to  the, 
160. 

Continuous  show.  A,  278.  279.  287. 

Control,  The  strife  for,  1-9. 

Convent  of  the  Incarnation,  Mother  In- 
tendant  of  the,  375. 

Conway,  Hon.  Thomas  F.,  Assistance 
rendered  by,  61. 

Corlaer,  or  Curler,  Arent  van.  a  founder 
of  Schenectady,  390;  drowTied  near 
Split  Rock,  390;  gave  name  to  Lake, 
390. 

Corlaer,  Indian  name  of  governors  of 
New  York.  390. 

Corlaer's  Bay,  now  Peru  Bay,  390. 

Corlaer's  Lake,  392. 

Corlaer,  Part  of.  taken  by  a  young  Hol- 
lander, 88. 

Corlaer's  Lake,  name  given  to  Lake 
Champlain,  390. 

Corn  dance,  or  harvest  festival,  87-88. 
See,  also.  The  Libretto  of  Hiawatha, 
the  Mohawk,  427-63. 


Analytical  Index 


481 


Cortez,  The  skiffs  of,  186;  a  great  ex- 
plorer, 264;  Champlain  the  equal  of, 
304.  306. 

Cosby.  Governor  William,  recommended 
building  a  fort  on  Lake  Champlain, 
393. 

Courcelle,  Daniel  de  Remy,  Sieur  de, 
governor  of  New  France,  389;  cor- 
respondence of,  390. 

Coureurs  de  hois.  The,  270;  descend- 
ants of,  overran  the  West,  272; 
acted  as  interpreters,  272;  figure  of  a, 
on  Champlain  memorial,  347. 

Courtemanche.  leader  of  band  against 
Mohawk  lo\vns,  39 1 . 

Couture,  Guillaume,  missionary,  cap- 
tured by  the  Iroquois,  taken  to  Three 
Rivers,  387. 

Coward  spirit.  Legend  of  the,  389. 

Cowles,  Col.  Calvin  D.,  member  Com- 
mittee on  parades,  5  I  ;  assistance  ren- 
dered by,  61  ;  in  command  of  all 
United  States  troops,  and  Grand  Mar- 
shal at  Plattsburgh,  75,  230,  232. 

Crab  Island,  Historic  burial-ground  on, 
23;  hospital  on.  398;  now  Macdon- 
ough  National  Military  Park.  398. 

Crespel,  Rev.  Emanuel,  on  Fort  St. 
Frederic  and  his  Lake  journey,  394- 
95;  says  scalping  began  at  Crown 
Point,  394. 

Crete  revealing  wonders  of  Minoan  age, 
366. 

Crockett.  Walter  H.,  on  Battle  of  Lake 
Champlain,  8-9;  member  of  Ver- 
mont Commission,  16,  28,  52;  at 
conference  with  Secretary  Root,  25, 
43;  on  Sub-Committee  of  Vermont 
32 


Commission,  29;  "History  of  Lake 
Champlain,"  by,  59;  given  hearing 
on  site  before  New  York  Commission, 
342 ;  at  joint  meeting  Vfilh  New  York 
Commission,  345. 

Crossett,  Lt.  Frederick  M.,  Eighth  Artil- 
lery District,  A.  D.  C,  escort  to  the 
representatives  from  Canada.  77. 

Crothers,  Rev.  S.  M.,  preached  at  the 
Unitarian  Church  in  Burlington,  Vt., 
lOI. 

Crown  Point,  Loss  of.  by  the  French  in 
1759,  3.  118,  363;  capture  of.  by 
Colonel  Warner.  6,  34,  119;  troops 
assembled  at,  6;  the  sick  transported 
to,  in  leaky  open  boats,  6-7;  occupied 
by  the  British.  7,  119,  328.  396; 
General  Gates  at,  8;  visited  by  the 
Commissioners,  25 ;  celebration  exer- 
cises to  be  held  at,  27,  366;  most 
southern  fortifications  of  the  French 
at,  32,  35,  129;  successive  ovraership 
of,  32 ;  ruins  of.  best  preserved  ex- 
amples of  their  kind,  35,  131;  fire- 
works on  successive  evenings  at,  60; 
programme  of  exercises  at,  62.  63; 
Indian  pageants  given  at,  86;  Arnold 
set  forth  from,  119;  Burgoyne  held, 
119;  Champlain's  battle  with  Iroquois 
near,  121,  123,  127-28;  first  occu- 
pied by  the  French,  123-24,  152; 
claims  direct  association  with  Cham- 
plain, 126;  French  abandoned.  130; 
third  stage  of,  possession  by  the  Eng- 
lish, 130;  Amherst's  Fort.  130;  roll- 
call  of  Americans  at,  1  30-3  I  ;  no  bat- 
tle at,  but  exchange  of  sovereignty, 
131;  a  menacing  stronghold.  153^;  Sir 
William  Johnson's  expedition  against. 


482 


Analytical  Index 


153-56;  Battle  of,  symbolized  on 
float  in  parade  at  Plattsburgh,  231  ; 
as  a  site  for  the  memorial,  342;  Act 
of  Legislature  accepting  gift  of  lands 
at,  344-45;  site  of  first  battle  of 
Lake  Champlain,  362;  origin  of  the 
name,  393;  Dieskau  marched  from, 
to  Lake  George,  395 ;  strengthened 
by  the  French,  395 ;  first  French  set- 
tlement at,  397;  Isaac  Weld  de- 
scribes condition  of,  404;  most  ad- 
vantageous for  a  military  post,  404; 
Timothy  Dwight  found  a  gloomy, 
melancholy  spot,  406-7.  5ee,  also. 
Fort  Frederic. 

Crown  Point  Forts,  Bi-State  programme 
of  celebration  exercises  at,  63 ;  Mon- 
day, July  5th,  the  Celebration,  I  I  7- 
36:  Sham  battle,  117;  Indian 
pageants,  117;  remarks  of  W.  C. 
Witherbee  introducing  Gov.  Hughes, 
117-18;  address  of  Gov.  Hughes, 
118-19;  gatevs^ay  to  a  continent, 
118;  historic  names,  118;  war- 
like expeditions,  118;  Fort  St.  Fred- 
eric, 118;  in  hands  of  French  and 
English  by  turn,  and  finally  American, 
119;  address  of  Seth  Low,  1 20- 
25;  address  of  Albert  C.  Barnes 
on  "Old  Crown  Point,"  126-31; 
Song  for  the  Tercentenary  of  Lake 
Champlain,  by  ClintoN  Scollard, 
132-36;  review  of  Tenth  Regiment, 
N.  G.,  by  Gov.  Hughes,  Indian 
pageants,  and  fireworks  at,  136; 
Gov.  Hughes  on  celebration  at,  198. 

CrowTi  Point  Forts,  Site  and  ruins  of, 
presented  to  the  State,    I  1  7. 


Crown  Point  Lighthouse  Reservation, 
Bill  authorizing  the  erection  of  memo- 
rial on,  348. 

Crystalline  rocks.  The  old,  374,  377; 
on  shores  and  walls  of  the  Lake, 
377. 

Cumberland  Bay,  Macdonough's  victory 
in,  8-9,  23,  34,  141,  163-64. 

Cumberland  Head,  Burgoyne's  army 
rested  at,  24 ;  there  should  be  a  statue 
of  Macdonough  at,  340. 

Cumberland  Head  and  Macdonough's 
victory,  1 26,  1 63. 

Cummings,  Dr.  William  A.  E.,  member 
of  committees,  51,  52;  assistance  ren- 
dered by,  6 1  ;  at  hearing,  34 1 . 

Curler,  or  Corlaer,  Arent  van,  a  founder 
of  Schenectady,  390. 

Cutting,  Sewell  S.,  Selection  from  poem 
of.  364. 

DARTMOUTH,  LORD,  to  Gov. 
Tryon,  on  confirmation  of  French 
land  grants,  1 ,  363. 

Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
Resolutions  of  the  Buffalo  Chapter 
of  the,  29-30;  members  of  Belle- 
view  Chapter  of.  at  Isle  La  Motte, 
302. 

D'Azy,  Lt.  Benoist,  naval  attache  of  the 
French  Ambassador,  at  Plattsburgh 
Barracks,  78;  at  Isle  La  Motte,  302; 
remarks  of,  320-2 1  ;  in  English, 
320;    in  French,  320-21. 

De  Chastes,  Bold,  215. 

De  la  Barre,  see  La  Barre. 

De  Monts,  Efforts  of,  for  a  New  France 
unsuccessful,      210;      brave,      215; 


Analytical  Index 


483 


Champlain,  lieutenant  under,  357;  re- 
ported to,  at  Fontainebleau,  362. 

De  Soto  came  and  left  no  trace,  209; 
first  reached  the  Mississippi,  264, 
271. 

Deep  waterway  project.  The,  257. 

Deerfield,  The  attack  on,  396. 

Deilius,  Godfrey,  accompanied  Peter 
Schuyler  to  Quebec  with  copies  of 
Treaty  of  Ryswick,  392 ;  New  York 
made  land  grant  to,  397. 

Democracy  triumphant,  331. 

Denonville,  Governor  Jacques  Rene  de 
Bresay,  burned  Iroquois  villages,  21  3. 

Details,  Multiplication  of,  requiring  at- 
tention, 56. 

Detroit,  Tradition  of  the  French  at, 
150;  founded  by  Lamothe-Cadillac, 
272. 

Devonshire,  English  sailors  and  adven- 
turers from,  1  49. 

Dewey  victory  in  Manila  Bay,  257. 

Dickens,  Charles,  praised  the  steamboat 
service  on  Lake  Champlain,  37;  prob- 
ably visited  Isle  La  Motte,  3 1  5. 

Dickinson,  Hon.  Jacob  M.,  Secretary 
of  War,  Assistance  of,  61  ;  gave  in- 
structions that  the  Army  participate, 
75 ;  arrival  of,  at  Fort  Ticonderoga, 
75 ;  at  review  at  Plattsburgh,  78 ; 
guest  at  banquet  to  Pres.  Taft,  233. 

Dieppe,  Champlain  sailed  from,  365. 

Dieskau,  Ludwig  August,  Baron  von. 
Expedition  of,  to  Crown  Point  and 
Ticonderoga,  5 ;  wounded  and  re- 
pulsed at  Lake  George,  5,  154-55; 
strengthened  Fort  Frederic,  129;  led 
his  army  from  Crown  Point,  395. 


Dillingham,  Senator  William  P.,  at  con- 
ference of  Sub-Committee  with  Sec- 
retary Root,  25,  43. 

Dillon,  McLellan  &  Beadel,  Map  of 
Bluff  Point  made  by,  340;  descrif>- 
tion  of  accepted  design  for  monument, 
346-47. 

Dixon,  James,  Poetical  rhapsody  on  the 
Lake    at    Plattsburgh,    418-19. 

Dochet's  doom,  215. 

Docks  repaired,  62. 

Dolbeau,  Jean,  at  Isle  La  Motte,  301  ; 
in  the  vision  of  the  past,  306,  308. 

Dollier  de  Casson,  Frangois,  missionary, 
at  Fort  Ste.  Anne,  33,  215.  301. 
306.  308,  389. 

Dominy,  Hon.  Alonson  T.,  member  of 
New  York  Commission,  22,  40,  50; 
death  of.  50. 

Don  de  Dieu,  The,  Champlain's  flag- 
ship, 87;  towed  to  Crown  Point. 
117;  represented  on  a  float  in  parade 
at  Plattsburgh,  231. 

Dongan,  Thomas,  Governor,  proposed  to 
build  fort  on  Lake,  390. 

Downie,  Capt.  George,  in  command  of 
British  fleet  on  Lake  Champlain,  8-9, 
34;  at  Isle  La  Motte,  316. 

Dozois,  Very  Rev.  Father,  Sermon  by, 
in  St.  Peter's  Church,  Plattsburgh, 
231. 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  came  and  left  no 
trace,  209. 

Drake,  M.  V.,  at  hearing,  341, 

Draper,  Hon.  Andrew  S..  Assistance 
rendered  by,  6 1 . 

Du  Bois,  secular  priest  at  Isle  La  Motte, 
301,  389;  in  the  vision  of  the  past, 
306,  308. 


484 


Analytical  Index 


Du  Luques,  Sieur,  a  lieutenant,  drowned 
in  storm,  388. 

Du  Luth,  Daniel  Greysolon,  fired  by  ex- 
ample of  Champlain,  265  ;  first  Euro- 
pean on  shores  of  Lake  Huron,  272. 

Dubuque,  H.  A.,  Address  by,  at  St. 
Peter's  College,  Plattsburgh,  231. 

Dubuque,  City  of,  founded  by  Julien 
Dubuque,  272. 

Duquesne  de  Menneville,  Inspiration  in 
example  of,  213. 

Dutch,  Impress  of,  upon  southeastern 
part  of  New  York  Province,  2. 

Dutch  East  India  Co.,  211. 

Dutch  navigators,  355. 

Dwight,  Dr.  Timothy,  made  elaborate 
record  of  the  Champlain  Valley,  36; 
describes  Crown  Point,  406-7 ; 
Chimney  Point,  407;  property  in 
Columbia  College,  407. 

EAGLE,  THE,  in  Macdonough's 
fleet  at  Cumberland  Bay,  1 63, 
164,  228. 

Earthquake  of  1663.  375. 

Eastern  United  States,  A  Mediterranean 
sea  covering  the,  376. 

Edison,  Thomas  Alva,  and  his  oppor- 
tunity, 331. 

Edmunds,  George  P.,  284. 

Education,  The  fruits  of,  331. 

Education  Department  of  New  York 
State  published  a  pamphlet  on  the  cele- 
bration, 59. 

Egypt,  Close  cult  of  priests  in,  33 L 

Electric  illuminations.  Notable,  at 
Plattsburgh,  232;  at  Burlington, 
253. 


Elizabeth,  Queen,  Death  of,  212,  326. 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  Tributes  to, 
from  across  the  Atlantic,  295. 

Emigrants  from  Canada  to  New  York, 
412. 

Empress  lines  of  steamers,  270. 

England,  a  free  national  branch  of  the 
Catholic  Church.   1  1  2. 

England  and  France  rivals  for  possession 
of  New  World,  3 1 ,  1  1  0,  1  68 ;  chief 
claimants  for  sovereignty.  111.  112; 
Catholic  countries.   1  I  2. 

England   and  the  United  States.   There 
can  be  no  future  enmity  between,  1 99 
the  struggle  between,  234. 

England,  The,  of  James  I,  121,  212 
failed  to  hold  the  colonies,  1 24 ;  what 
the  Seven  Years'  War  did  for,  156 
garden  of  the  world,  1  65  ;  our  Mother 
Country,  203;  honor  to  the  common 
people  of,  214;  taught  us  the  princi- 
ples of  self-government,  239;  sought 
a  dominion,  265 ;  followed  in  path 
of  discovery  and  gold-hunting,  271. 

English,  Two  reasons  why  we  speak; 
one  the   Iroquois,   214,   230. 

English  and  French,  Union  of,  in  Can- 
ada, 112,  165.  204;  discuss  the 
past  in  concord  of  the  present,   1 99. 

English  colonists  home-makers,  151-52; 
war  with  the  French  chronic,  152; 
colonized  for  freedom,  2 1 2. 

English  navigators,  355. 

English  Revolution,  the  crowning  glory 
of  the  English  race,  330. 

Entente  cordiale,  273-74. 

Episodes  in  the  history  of  the  Champlam 
valley  (FrANK  H.  SEVERANCE), 
385-400. 


Analytical  Index 


485 


Erdinator,  Rigeletto  monk.  Statue  of,  in 
Manila.    194. 

Erskine,  John.  —  Champlain:  a 
poem,  323-26;  Champlain  led  by 
faith,  323;  loved  truth  in  nature, 
324;    vision  and  freedom,   325. 

Esty,  Coi.  J.  Grey,  commanding  Ver- 
mont Division  National  Guard,  254. 

Ethan  Allen  Club,  Burlington,  The 
Commissioners  guests  of  the,  25 ; 
luncheon  to  Pres.  Taft  and  guests  at 
the,  280. 

Europe,  Population  of,  doubled,  329; 
a  new  spirit  in,  330. 

Events  on  vy^hich  historians  disagree,  74. 

Evolution  of  the  celebration  project,  1  3- 
18. 

Exchange  of  prisoners  held  by  Indians, 
392. 

Expedition  of  colonists  and  Indians  in 
1709  unsuccessful,  152. 

Explorers,  Daring  of  the,  263;  wonder- 
ful line  of,  264;  Champlain  one  of 
the  ablest  and  best  of,  264;  from 
New  France  overran  the  Mississippi 
valley  before  the  Seven  Years'  War, 
271. 

FAITH  and  tolerance,  Hughes,  Taft, 
and  Gibbons  on,   192-96. 

Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  The,  discovered 
by  Father  Hennepin,  271. 

Falls  of  St.  Louis,  356. 

Farms,  The  deserted,  of  Vermont,  283. 

Farrand,  Daniel,  made  address  of  wel- 
come to  James  Monroe  at  Burlington, 
407. 

Favreau,  J.  Arthur,  compiler  and  editor 
of  "  Le  Grande  Semaine,"  59. 


Fearn,  Capt.  William  R.,  71st  Reg., 
N.  G.,  A.  D.  C.  to  Gov.  Hughes. 
76. 

Federal  Government  should  invite  repre- 
sentatives from  France,  Great  Britain, 
and  Canada  as  its  guests,  25,  43; 
Resolution  to  memorialize  the,  to  par- 
ticipate, 26;  co-operation  of,  366. 

Federal  recognition  and  aid,  43-44; 
conference  of  sub-committees  of  the 
Commissions  with  Secretary  of  State 
Elihu  Root,  25-26,  43;  joint  memo- 
rial sent  to  Secretary  of  State,  43; 
request  contained  in,  43-44;  memo- 
rial referred  to  Senate  Committee  on 
Foreign  Affairs,  44 ;  Bill  passed,  ap- 
propriating $20,000,  44;  Witherbee 
and  Hill  conferred  with  authorities  re- 
garding, 59. 

Federal  troops.  Co-operation  of,  ar- 
ranged for,  58,  62. 

Ferris,  M.  Y.,  at  hearing,  341. 

Fidelity  to  country  and  fidelity  to  God, 
Cardinal  Gibbons  on,    1 08. 

Fifteenth  U.  S.  Cavalry,  squadron  of, 
under  Capt.  W.  T.  Littebrant,  Move- 
ments of,  75 ;  escort  to  the  President, 
75.  232;  list  of  officers  of  the,  pres- 
ent at  the  celebration.  81  ;  two  troops 
of.  at  Isle  La  Motte,  301. 

Fifth  Royal  Canadian  Highlanders,  in- 
vited. 58;  and  band  in  parade  and  re- 
view at  Pittsburgh.  July  7th,  78, 
232;  commanding  officer  and  number 
of  men,  84;  thanks  of  the  United 
States  Government  extended  to,  by 
Pres.  Taft,  236,  279;  Gov,  Hughes 
on  the.  242. 


486 


Analytical  Index 


Fifth  U.  S.  Infantry.  Col.  Calvin  D. 
Cowles,  in  parades  at  Plattsburgh  and 
Burlington,  75,  232;  list  of  officers 
of  the,  present  at  the  celebration,  79- 
80;  band  of,  in  both  parades,  80. 

Finch,  The,  English  vessel,  drifted  ashore 
in  Cumberland  Bay,  163,  164. 

Finger-lake  valleys  of  central  New  York, 
381. 

Finn,  P.  J.,  at  hearing,  341. 

Firearms,  Champlain's  use  of,  cause  of 
deadly  hostility  of  Iroquois  to  the 
French,  2,  89.  121,  168. 

Fireworks,  Displays  of,  provided,  60; 
at  Crown  Point,  136;  at  Ticonder- 
oga,    187;    at  Plattsburgh,  232. 

First  Regiment,  N.  G.  N.  Y..  Col. 
Charles  H.  Hitchcock,  in  camp  at 
Plattsburgh  Barracks,  78. 

First  Vermont  Infantry,  Company  "  M," 
at  Isle  La  Motte,  30 1  ;  with  band,  as 
Governor's  escort,  302. 

Fish,  Frank  L.,  member  of  Vermont 
Commission,  52. 

Fisheries  Question,  The,  in  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  291-92. 

Fisk.  Hon.  Nelson  W.,  entertained  Com- 
missions at  dinner  on  Isle  La  Motte, 
25  ;  assistance  rendered  by,  61 . 

Fitzpatrick,  prelate,  in  vision  of  the  past, 
306.  308. 

Five  Nations,  The  Confederacy  of  the, 
88;  higher  civilization  in,  89;  suprem- 
acy of,  121  ;  the  lodges  of,  148;  ter- 
ritory and  nations  of  the,  208;  tribes 
of  each  nation  the  same,  208-9;  gov- 
ernment of,  and  area  covered  by,  209; 
treaty  between  the  French  and,  396. 


Flags,  American,  Fifty  great,  at  Bur- 
lington, 254. 

Flags,  Combined  use  of  American  and 
French,  in  the  decorations,  73-74;  at 
the  banquet,  233,  238;  of  three  great 
nations  unfurled,  269;  at  the  banquet 
in  Burlington,  280. 

Fletcher,  Governor  Benjamin,  reports 
defeat  of  Indian  raiders,  392. 

Foley,  James  A.,  member  of  New  York 
Commission,  22,  40,  50,  52;  on  Lit- 
erary and  Speakers'  Committee,  5 1  ; 
chairman  Fireworks  Committee,  5 1  ; 
on  Publicity  Committee,  52  ;  on  Com- 
mittee on  Banquet,  249;  on  Commit- 
tee on  Funds  for  a  Monument,  339; 
on  Committee  on  a  Separate  Memo- 
rial, 344. 

Foot  Guards,  see  Governor-General's 
Foot  Guards. 

Foreign  relations.  Our,  strengthened  by 
New  York  and  Vermont,  235,  284. 

Forest  fires,  406,  412. 

Forest  of  Arden,  A,  to  the  west,  1 48. 

Forests  should  be  preserved,  267-68. 

Forshew,  Commander  Robert  P.,  Sec- 
ond Battalion,  Naval  Militia, 
A.  D.  C,  escort  to  the  French  Am- 
bassador, 77. 

Fort  Amherst  at  Crowii  Point,  117;  ex- 
tent and  cost  of,  1  1  9. 

Fort  Carillon  at  Ticonderoga  abandoned 
by  the  French,  3;  built  in  1775,  5, 
140,  143,  155,  270,  328,  363; 
Montcalm  at,  5,  182;  captured  by 
Amherst,  and  name  changed  to  Fort 
Ticonderoga,   1  40. 

Fort  Cassin  on  Otter  Creek,  Celebration 
at,   334. 


Analytical  Index 


487 


Fort  Duquesne,  153,  156,  158;  gate- 
way of  the  West,  2 1  3. 

Fort  Edward,  Burgoyne  captured,  119; 
new  name  for  Fort  Lyman,   155. 

Fort  Ethan  Allen,  Squadron  of  Fifteenth 
U.  S.  Cavalry  from,  75. 

Fort  Frederic  at  Crown  Point  blown 
up  by  de  Bourlamaque,  3,  119; 
built  in  1731  by  Marquis  de 
Beauharnois.  5,  118,  123,  129. 
152,  328,  363.  393;  capture 
of,  attempted,  5 ;  the  southernmost 
outpost  of  the  French,  32,  35 ;  Am- 
herst and  Burgoyne  at,  35,  1  19;  his- 
toric names  and  events  at.  1 29,  363 ; 
vote  at  Ticonderoga  as  to  name  of, 
1  76,  270;  accounts  of,  by  Kalm  and 
Crespel.  393-95. 

Fort  Frontenac,  158. 

Fort  La  Motte  several  years  deserted, 

315. 

Fort  La  Prairie  captured  by  Gen.  Philip 
Schuyler,  152. 

Fort  Lyman,  later  named  Fort  Edward, 
built.  153. 

Fort  Oswego  stormed  by  Montcalm, 
181. 

Fort  St.  Frederic,  see  Fort  Frederic. 

Fort  Ste.  Anne,  Dedication  of,  at  Isle 
La  Motte.  4,  315.  327.  388;  stop- 
ping-place for  expeditions,  4-5,  315, 
363;  first  Christian  worship  in  Ver- 
mont at,  32,  301  ;  historic  associa- 
tions of,  33,  270;  now  knowTi  as 
Sandy  Point,  301  ;  gives  honor  to 
the  heroes  of  the  past,  305,  308; 
burned  by  the  French,  327;  men 
from,  surprised  by  the  Mohawks, 
388;  de  Tracy's  expedition  at,  388. 


Fort  Ticonderoga,  Region  of,  interested 
the  French  and  British  ambassadors, 
1 40 ;  captured  by  Ethan  Allen,  1 40 ; 
and  by  Burgoyne,  1  40. 

Fort  William  Henry,  Lake  George, 
taken  by  Montcalm,  5,  155-56, 
395;  saved  by  John  Stark,  155; 
capitulation  of,  and  massacre  at,  395. 

Fortifications,  Historical,  270;  the  story 
of,  328. 

Foster,  David  J.,  at  conference  of  Sub- 
Committee  with  Secretary  Root,  25, 
43;  reported  a  bill  from  the  Commit- 
tee of  Foreign  Affairs,  44;  remarks 
of,  at  Ticonderoga,  177-79:  Ver- 
mont set  the  pace  for  New  York  with 
Ethan  Allen,  1  78 ;  Roosevelt  secured 
peace  between  Japan  and  Russia, 
178;  Burlingame  in  House  of  Com- 
mons, 178;  Congressman  Malby, 
1  79 ;  guest  at  banquet  to  Pres.  Taft, 
233;  secured  passage  of  bill  by  Con- 
gress, 347. 

Fox,  Charles  James,  censured  Burgoyne 
for  employing  Indians,  8;  friend  of 
Americans,   1  62. 

France  and  England,  Catholic  countries, 
112;  friendly  relations  of,  1  83. 

France,  The  Church  of,  resisted  foreign 
authority,   I  1  3. 

France,  The,  of  Henry  of  Navarre, 
121,  286,  355;  a  feudal  France, 
122;  worthy  monuments  of,  123;  and 
the  New  World,  1  49 ;  ruined  in  two 
continents,  156;  protagonist  of  lib- 
erty, 1 65 ;  the  friend  of  the  United 
States,  201  ;  world  owes  many  debts 
to,  213;  our  tribute  to,  237;  sought 


488 


Analytical  Index 


a  dominion,  265 ;  pioneers  of  com- 
mercial industry  from,  270-71. 

France,  Republic  of,  Sub-Committee  to 
call  the  attention  of  the,  to  the  celebra- 
tion, 22 ;  representatives  from,  should 
be  invited,  25,  26,  366;  diplomatic 
representatives  of,  invited,  58;  signifi- 
cance of  their  presence,  63 ;  no  en- 
mity between  United  States  and,  in 
the  future,  1 99 ;  Jusserand  extends 
thanks  of,  for  honors  to  Champlain, 
201,  203;  the  friendship  of,  for  Am- 
erica and  for  England,  238,  241  ; 
not  a  flighty  nation,  238;  the  colonial 
empire  of  the,  290. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  conveyed  in  open 
boat  on  return  from  Montreal  to  Ti- 
conderoga,  7;  plan  of,  for  union, 
158-59;  the  supreme  good  sense  of, 
213,245. 

Franklin,  The  steamer,  413,  416. 

Fraser,  General  Simon,  pursued  the  re- 
treating Gen.  St.  Clair,   I  62. 

Fraternal  orders  to  be  invited  to  parade, 
27. 

Fraternal  societies  co-operated,  60. 

Frawley,  James  J.,  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  50,  52;  chairman 
of  Banquet  Committee,  5  I  ;  on  Pub- 
licity Committee,  52;  made  ante- 
prandial arrangements  for  banquet, 
249;  member  of  Committee  to  Raise 
Funds  for  a  Monument,  339;  on 
Committee  on  Location  and  Cost  of 
a  Monument,   339. 

Frederick  the  Great  praised  Montgom- 
ery's generalship,  I  60-6 1 . 


Fremin,  Father  Jacques,  labored  at  Fort 
Ste.  Anne,  33,  389;  in  vision  of  the 
past.  306,  308. 

French,  Victory  of  the,  at  Ticonderoga, 
under  Montcalm,  3;  defeated  by 
Gen.  Amherst,  3,  34-35 ;  on  the 
lower  Mississippi,  III,  150;  estab- 
lished posts  on  the  great  lakes  and  on 
the  Alleghany  river.  111,  150; 
claimed  sovereignty.  111;  in  the 
South  and  West,  123,  150;  not 
settlers  but  explorers,  151;  war  with 
English  and  Iroquois,  1  52 ;  colonized 
for  dominion,  212;  leaders  in  coloni- 
zation, 212-13;  pioneers  of  civiliza- 
tion in  America,  271  ;  early  directed 
colonization  toward  Canada,  355. 

French  Ambassador,  see  Jusserand,  Jean 
Adrien  Antoine  Jules. 

French-American  residents  of  Northern 
New  York  gathered  at  Plattsburgh, 
231;  and  French  speaking  Canadians 
at  Isle  La  Motte  celebration,  302. 

French  and  Dutch,  Emissaries  of,  passed 
through   the  Lake,    390. 

French  and  English  discuss  the  past  m 
concord  of  the  present,  I  99 ;  a  good 
Canadian  combination,  205 ;  only  na- 
tions colonizing  in  America,  21  I-|3; 
in  Canada,  285,  328. 

French  and  English  wars,  31,  111,  121, 
134,  328;  began  early  along  the 
coast,  123;  final  struggle  in  the,  2 1 4, 
328. 

French  and  Indian  expedition  against 
Schenectady  came  and  went  via  Lake, 
390. 


Analytical  Index 


489 


French  and  Indian  raiders  near  Albany 
pursued  and  defeated  at  the  Lake, 
391-92. 

French  and  Indian  War,  The,  156, 
213-14;   effects  of.  158. 

French  and  Indians,  Barrier  to  incursions 
of  the,  from  Canada,  2 ;  War  of,  6, 
34;  rights  of  New  York  maintained 
against,  33-34,  57. 

French  and  the  Five  Nations,  Treaty  be- 
tween, 396. 

"French  Day"  at  Plattsburgh,  231; 
mass  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  231; 
parade  under  Marshal  Dr.  J.  H.  La 
Rocque,  231  ;  address  ^t  St.  Peter's 
College  by  H.  A.  Dubuque,  231. 

French  domination  for  150  years,  3,  13, 
32.  143. 

French  Embassy,  Benoist  d'Azy,  Naval 
Attache  of,  302,  314. 

French  failure  and  English  success.  Two 
causes  of,  2 1  4. 

French  forts  in  the  Champlain  valley,  1  ; 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf. 
213,  363. 

French  names  of  prosperous  conununi- 
ties,  123. 

French  Naval  Academy,  The,  not  a 
school  of  English  speakers,  320. 

French  people.  Admiration  of  England 
for  the,  240. 

French  Revolution,  The,  Change  effected 
by,  122-23;  social  forces  in,  212; 
a  consequence  of  our  ovra,  330. 

French  River,  Champlain  went  down,  to 
Georgian  Bay,  364. 

French  settlements  in  the  Champlain  val- 
ley, 1 ;  how  permanent,  were  pre- 
vented, 2-3. 


French  societies.  Celebration  by,  at  Bur- 
lington, 253-54;  endorsed  Isle  La 
Motte  for  site  of  monument,  340. 

Frenchmen,  adventurers  and  hunters, 
271. 

Frenchmen,  The  governing  class  of, 
211-12. 

Friendship  between  nations  the  thing  of 
our  time  worthy  of  commemoration, 

204. 

Frobisher,  Sir  Martin,  came  and  left  no 
trace,  209. 

Fronfenac,  Louis  de  Buade,  Count,  gal- 
lant, 133,  150;  inspiration  in  ex- 
ample of,  213;  burned  Iroquois  vil- 
lages, 21  3. 

Funds,  Independent,  raised  by  local  com- 
mittees, 60. 

Fundy,  Bay  of.  Tides  in  the,  2 1  6. 

Fur  trade.  Aid  of  the  northern  tribes  in 
the,  secured  for  the  French  by  Cham- 
plain, 110;    gone,  266. 

Fur  traders.  Endurance  of  the  French, 

112.270. 

Furs  and  peltries  in  1806  important 
items  of  freight,  407. 

/^ALILEO,    and   Champlain.   225; 
^■^      and  his  telescope,  326. 
Gallican  liberties  recognized,  1  1  3. 
Gate  of  the  country.  The,  265,  270. 
Gates,  General  Horatio,  at  Ticonderoga, 
7;    took  possession  of  CrowTi  Point, 

8,  131. 

Gateway  of  the  country,  141. 

Gateway  of  the  Land,  Fair,  1  34. 

"  Gateway  of  the  Nation,"  the  Cham- 
plain valley,  Three  nations  contended 
for  possession  of,  4,  141. 


490 


Analytical  Index 


Gateway  to  a  continent,  I  1  8,  234. 

Gaul,  Saxon  and,  wrestle,  1  68. 

"  Gentlemen  Adventurers  of  England, 
The,"  founded  by  a  Frenchman,  III. 

Geography  the  present  expression  of  geo- 
logical forces  and  effects,  372. 

Geology  of  the  Champlain  Valley 
(John  M.  Clarke)  371-82:  His- 
tory closely  knit  to  geography,  371- 
72 ;  geography  the  present  expression 
of  geology,  372;  the  valley  and  the 
St.  Lawrence  have  a  common  birth, 
372;  the  first  continent,  the  "  Cana- 
dian shield,"  373-74;  formation  of 
the  Appalachians,  373;  "Logan's 
Fault,"  374;  oldest  waterways  on 
earth,  374;  birth  of  the  Champlain 
valley,  374-75;  earthquake  of  1663 
and  Mt.  Trembleau,  375;  second 
stage,  the  Le'vi's  Channel  of  the  Lower 
Silurian,  376;  the  dark  ages  of  the 
valley,  376-77;  the  ancient  rock 
beds,  377-79;  the  Adirondack  crys- 
tallines, 377;  the  Potsdam  sand- 
stones, 377-78;  the  limestones  and 
shales,  378-79;  the  Great  Glacier, 
379-81  ;  Lake  Albany  and  Lake 
Vermont,  380-81  ;  sinking  of  the 
earth's  surface,  381  ;  Gilbert  Gulf 
and  the  Hochelagan  Sea,  381  ;  lilt  of 
the  Champlain-Hudson  valley,  382; 
Champlain  valley  upraised,  382; 
canyon  of  the  Ausable,  382. 

Georgian  Bay,  Champlain  first  white 
man  to  reach,  I  1  0,  364. 

Georgian  Bay  Canal,  The,  206,  270. 

Germans  from  Gottingen  studying  Eng- 
lish at  Burlington,  415. 


Germany  and  the  Thirty  Years  War, 
211. 

Gibbons,  James  Cardinal. — Sermon 
preached  by,  at  Cliff  Haven,  on 
Champlain  Sunday,  I  02,  1  03-9 ;  on 
idolatry  at  Rome  and  in  the  Roman 
Empire,  1 04 ;  Christ's  call  to  the 
apostles,  1  04-5  ;  work  of  the  apostles, 
105-6;  the  victories  of  peace,  106; 
triumph  of  the  church,  106-7;  Cham- 
plain and  the  great  missionaries,  107; 
love  of  country  and  the  glory  of  God, 
1 08-9 ;  remarks  at  celebration,  on 
tolerance  in  religion,  196;  guest  at 
banquet  to  President  Taft,  233. 

Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  in  Newfound- 
land, under  a  Royal  Patent,  1  1 0, 
209. 

Gilbert  Gulf,  a  great  salt  bay  extending 
to  Lake  Ontario,  381. 

Gilman,  Caroline  H.,  in  "  Poetry  of 
travel,"  praises  the  Franklin,  416. 

Glacier,  The  Great,  from  Ungava  and 
Labrador,  379-81. 

Glens  Falls,  birthplace  of  Governor 
Charles  E.  Hughes,  259. 

Gloire,  La,  est  le  soleil  des  morts,  229. 

Godley,  John  Robert,  writes  two  chap- 
ters at  Isle  aux  Noix,  417;  praises 
the  Burlington,  417;  plan  for  injur- 
ing the  United  States,  4 1  7. 

Goesbriand,  Rev.  de,  bought  site  of  Fort 
Ste.  Anne.  33;  in  vision  of  the  past, 
306,  308. 

Gosnold,  Bartholomew,  came  and  left  no 
trace.  209. 

Gougou's  hideous  hiss.  The,  2 1  6, 


Analytical  Index 


491 


Gouin,  Sir  Lomer,  Premier  of  Quebec, 
guest  at  banquet  to  President  Taft, 
233;  remarks,  247-49;  the  historic 
past,  247;  tribute  to  Champlain,  the 
founder,  248-49;  best  wishes  for  the 
United  States,  249;  represented  Pro- 
vince of  Quebec,  318. 

Goupil,  Rene,  missionary,  killed  by  the 
Mohawks.  387. 

Government,  Participation  of  executive 
heads  of,  a  crowning  success,  62 ; 
change  in  forms  of,  330;  just  powers 
of,  derived  from  governed,  330. 

Governor-General's  Foot  Guards,  Lt.- 
Col.  D.  R.  Street  commanding,  and 
band,  in  reviews  at  Plattsburgh  and 
Burlington,  78,  232,  255,  280;  num- 
ber of  men,  84 ;  Governor  Hughes  on 
the,  242 ;   President  Taft  on  the.  279. 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  A  divi- 
sion of  the,  in  parade  at  Plattsburgh, 
232;   at  Burlington,  280. 

Grande  Isle  in  Champlain's  path,  1 48. 

"  Grande  Semaine,  Le,"  compiled  and 
edited  by  J.  Arthur  Favreau,  59. 

Granges,  Local,  co-operated,  60. 

Granite,  Quarries  of,  377. 

Granites  of  the  Adirondacks,  373. 

Grant,  Maj.-Gen.,  and  Mrs.  Fred.  D., 
invited  guests,  57. 

Grants,  Seigniorial,  about  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  made  by  the  French,  1-2;  con- 
firmation of,  sought  by  French  from 
Quebec,  24,  397;  few  occupations 
under  French,  363,  397. 

Graphite,  Deposits  of,  377-78. 

Great  Britain,  Sub-Committee  to  call  the 
attention  of,  to  the  celebration,  22 ; 
representatives    from,    should    be    in- 


vited, 25,  26,  366;  diplomatic  repre- 
sentatives of,  invited,  58;  significance 
of  their  presence,  63 ;  our  Mother 
Country  even  in  acrimony  of  the 
Revolution,   203. 

Great  Jehovah,  The,  and  the  Continental 
Congress,  35,  144,  160,  174. 

Great  Lakes  drained  by  Mohawk 
channel  into  the  Hudson,  380. 

Green  Mountain  Boys,  Ethan  Allen  and 
the,  capture  Ticonderoga,  6,  1 34, 
140,  144,  159-60.  173-74;  praise 
of,  from  New  York,  144;  Governor 
Prouty  on  the,  1 45 ;  Governor 
Hughes  will  tread  humbly  among  the, 
198;  patriotism  of,  260;  a  sturdy 
race,  265. 

Green  Mountains.  The.  259.  268.  291. 
336. 

Grenville  series.  Gray  gneisses  and 
schists  of  the,  377. 

Grogan,  Col.  J.  H.,  marshal  of  division 
of  G.  A.  R.,  in  parade  at  Platts- 
burgh, 232. 

Guard  of  honor  for  Governor  Hughes 
from  Tenth  Regiment,  National 
Guard,  11. 

Guard  of  honor  for  President  Taft  from 
Tenth  Regiment,  National  Guard, 
N.  Y.,  77. 

Guard  of  honor  of  blue  jackets  at 
speakers*  stands,  76;  at  review  at 
Plattsburgh   Barracks,    78. 

Guerin,  Vital,  chose  site  of  St.  Paul, 
272. 

Guests,  specially  invited.  Provision  for, 
56;   several  named,  57. 

Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  Champlain  en- 
tered, 356. 


492 


Analytical  Index 


Gunning,  John,  at  hearing,  34  i. 

Gurney,  Joseph  John,  the  Quaker,  on  the 
people,  416;  compared  the  Lake  to 
Derwentwater,  416;  visited  the  col- 
lege, 4 1  7. 

HALF  MOON,  The,  In  Penobscot 
Bay,  210;  the  voyage  of  the, 
234. 

Hail,  Bp.  Arthur  C.  A.,  preached  ser- 
mon at  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church, 
Burlington,  on  Champlain  Sunday, 
101  ;  pronounced  invocation  at  Bur- 
lington,  255. 

Hall,  Capt.  Basil,  v»Tites  of  the  Cham- 
plain  steamers,  412;  and  a  forest 
fire,  412-13. 

Hall,  Hon.  Benjamin  E.,  Assistance 
rendered  by,  61. 

Hall,  Edward  Hagaman,  Assistant  Sec- 
retary, Official  report  of  the  Hudson- 
Fulton  Commission  by,   336. 

Hall,  Enoch,  settled  on  Isle  La  Motte, 
316. 

Hall,  Lt.  Francis,  published  a  valuable 
narrative  of  things  in  the  Champlain 
valley,  36. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  245. 

Hamilton,  Capt.  Thomas,  on  the  defeat 
of  Prevost,  415. 

Hamlin,  A.  D.  F.,  in  charge  of  competi- 
tion for  design  for  memorial,  345. 

Harmensen,  Fredrych,  escaped  from 
Quebec,  390. 

Harmensen,  Nanning,  escaped  from 
Quebec,  390. 

Harper,  J.  M.,  "  Champlain;  a  drama 
in  three  acts,"  59. 

Hanna,  Robert,  at  hearing,  341. 


Havana,  Champlain  visited,  356. 
Havre  de  Grace,  Champlain  returned  to, 

357. 

Hawaii,  329. 

Hays,  Lynn  M.,  member  and  secretary 
of  Vermont  Commission,  1  6,  28,  52 ; 
at  conference  with  Secretary  Root, 
25,  43;  on  Sub-Committee  of  Ver- 
mont Commission,  29 ;  member  Com- 
mittee on  Badges,  52;  secretary  at 
joint  meeting  with  New  York  Com- 
mittee, 345-46. 

Heard,  A.  A.,  on  Committee  on  Trans- 
portation, 5  1  ;  assistance  rendered  by, 
61. 

Heights  of  Abraham,  Death  of  Mont- 
calm on  the,  157,213.230.269. 

Heistand.  Col.  H.  O.  S.,  Adjt.-Gen.. 
Valuable  assistance  from,  61  ;  ar- 
ranged the  movements  of  the  United 
States  troops,  75. 

Hennepin,  Father  Louis,  150;  dis- 
covered the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony, 
271. 

Henry  IV.  (of  Navarre)  Champlain 
represented,  1 ,  1  32,  141;  the  golden 
fleur-de-lis  of.  74;  the  France  of. 
121;  greatest  of  French  kings,  211; 
the  explorers  of,  215-17;  death  of. 
326;  colonization  of  Canada  under, 
355 ;  interested  in  Champlain's  re- 
port, 357.  362. 

Henry  V.  to  troops  at  Agincourt,   18L 

Henry,  Brig.-Gen.  Nelson  H.,  on  Com- 
mittee on  State  Troops,  5  I  ;  valuable 
assistance  from,  61  ;  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral N.  G.,  76;  thanks  of  the  Com- 
mission due,  76;  escort  to  President 
Taft  from  Albany,  77. 


Analytical  Index 


493 


Hero  Islands.  The,  1  33. 

"  Hiawatha,"  The  historic  drama  of, 
subject  of  a  pageant,  86;  description 
of,  87-88;  trade  meeting  of  Hoche- 
lagas  and  Algonquins,  87,  428;  stag 
race  between  Black  Wolverine  and 
Hiawatha,  87,  428;  canoe  race,  87, 
428;  harvest  festival.  87-88.  429- 
30;  siege  of  the  stockade,  88.  440- 
43 ;  Iroquois  driven  to  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  88;  Hiawatha  establishes  Con- 
federacy of  the  Five  Nations,  88, 
451-62;  "Spectator,"  of  the  Out- 
look, on  the  play  and  the  Indians. 
88-90. 

"  Hiawatha,  the  Mohawk,"  Libretto 
of,  427-63:  Trade  meeting,  pipe 
of  peace,  428;  stag  race.  428; 
canoe  race.  428;  Hiawatha  wins  stag 
race.  429;  corn  feast.  429-30;  talk 
of  Hiawatha's  future.  431-33;  the 
moose-spies,  433;  axe  of  the  Hurons. 
434;  Black  Wolverine  and  his  men 
spies,  435 ;  Hiawatha  goes  with 
them.  436;  treacherous  attack  on 
Hiawatha,  438;  war,  439-40;  the 
siege,  440-45;  Wolverine  killed, 
441  ;  Hiawatha  appears,  443;  Awith- 
aroa's  sacrifice.  444-45 ;  farewell 
to  Hochelaga.  445 ;  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  445-46;  in  land  of  the  Onon- 
dagas.  446-48;  war  against  the 
Mohawks.  448-5 1 ;  ended  by  Hia- 
watha. 45 1  ;  appeal  for  league  of  the 
five  nations.  451-52;  Hiawatha  joins 
Mohawks.  453;  vfins  them.  454-55; 
council  of  Onondagas,  455-56; 
Mohawk  peace  party,  457;  Hatiria, 
the  imposter,  459;   the  Cayuga.  460; 


Hiawatha  secures  peace,  461  ;  peace 
with  the  Dutch,  462-63. 

Hiclcey,  Rt.  Rev.  Bp.  Thomas  F.,  cele- 
brant at  Cliff  Haven,  on  Champlain 
Sunday.  1  02. 

Higgins,  ,  on  Committee  on  Enter- 
tainment. 52. 

Highway.  The,  between  Quebec  and  Al- 
bany. 270. 

Hill.  Caleb,  killed  at  Isle  La  Motte. 
316. 

Hill.  Master  Harry,  unveiled  Boulder 
Monument.  333. 

Hill,  Hon.  Henry  Wayland,  com- 
piler of  this  Report. —  Historical 
introduction,  1-9;  suggestion  of 
Governor  Proctor  to,  16;  Con- 
current resolution  offered  by,  passed 
by  New  York  Legislature,  1 7, 
21;  remarks  of,  supporting,  17; 
member  of  New  York  Commis- 
sion, 22,  40.  50,  52;  chairman 
of  Sub-Committee,  22-23;  at  con- 
ference of  Sub-Committee  with  Secre- 
tary Root,  25.  43;  secretary  of  the 
Commission.  5 1  ;  on  committees,  5  1 , 
52;  chairman  of  Committee  on  Liter- 
ary Exercises,  56;  and  Mr.  Wither- 
bee  confer  with  Federal  authorities 
at  Washington,  59;  all  matters  re- 
lating to  publicity  delegated  to,  59; 
presided  at  Literary  Exercises  at 
Ticonderoga,  1  40-83 :  Introduction, 
140-41;  Indian  names,  141;  strong- 
hold of  three  nations,  141;  naval 
victories  on,  and  beauty  of  the  Lake, 
141;  presents  Governor  Hughes, 
141;  presents  Governor  Prouty, 
1 45  ;  introduces  Hamilton  W.  Mabie, 


494 


Analytical  Index 


orator  of  the  day,  146-47;  presents 
Percy  MacKaye,  poet  of  the  day, 
1 65 ;  introduces  Hon.  Seth  Low, 
1 75 ;  introduces  David  J.  Foster, 
177;  presents  Frank  Plumley,  179; 
introduces  Ambassador  Jusserand, 
180;  and  Ambassador  Bryce,  183; 
at  Isle  La  Motte.  301.  303.— Isle  La 
Motte,  address  of  welcome,  314-18: 
the  assemblage,  314;  Champlain  here 
300  years  ago,  315;  place  of  Indian 
conflicts,  315;  Fort  Ste.  Anne  built, 
315;  distinguished  visitors,  315; 
granted  to  French  officers,  316;  his- 
toric points  near.  316;  settled,  316; 
Capt.  Downie's  fleet  at,  316;  grand- 
father killed  at,  316;  sent  to  the 
Civil  War  more  soldiers  than  it  had 
voters,  317;  voted  one  dollar  per 
head  for  celebration,  317;  Tercen- 
tenary celebration  suggested  by  Gov- 
ernor F.  D.  Proctor,  317;  Gover- 
nors Prouly  and  Hughes,  317;  the 
pageants  and  parades,  addresses  and 
poems,  317-18;  official  representa- 
tives, 318;  benefits,  318;  thanks  to 
native  town,  and  all  others,  318.  On 
sites  for  a  monument,  339-40;  motion 
of,  making  vote  for  Bluff  Point 
unanimous,  342. 
Hill,  Henry  Wayland. —  Samuel 
Champlain  and  the  Lake  Champlain 
Tercentenary,  355-67:  Early  trans- 
Atlantic  voyages,  355;  Champlain 
born  in  Brouage,  355 ;  a  practical 
navigator,  356;  visit  of  Champlain 
to  Mexico,  Panama  and  Havana, 
356;  voyage  up  the  St.  Lawrence  In 
1603,    356;     repeated   voyages    of. 


357;  founded  colony  at  Quebec, 
357;  Governor  of  Quebec  in  1608, 
358;  sufferings  during  winter,  358; 
learns  of  the  Lake,  358-59;  tour  of 
exploration  with  party  of  Montagnais, 
359;  Champlain's  own  description  of 
discovery  of  Lake  Champlain,  359- 
60;  battle  with  the  Iroquois,  361- 
62 ;  first  white  man  in  New  York 
and  Vermont,  362;  the  Lake  long 
previous  a  battle  ground  for  the  In- 
dians, 363 ;  Indian,  French  and  Eng- 
lish occupation  of  the  valley,  363 ; 
disputed  grants  of  lands,  363;  battles 
of  the  Revolution,  364;  a  highway 
of  war  and  travel,  364;  extract  from 
Dr.  Cutting's  poem,  364 ;  entered  the 
Georgian  Bay  and  beheld  Lake 
Huron,  364;  crossed  Lake  Ontario, 
364 ;  yearly  trips  to  France,  365 ; 
captured  by  English,  365 ;  released 
and  New  France  restored  to  the 
French,  365  ;  died  at  Quebec,  365 ; 
his  voyages  and  endurance.  365 ; 
foremost  of  pioneers,  366;  the  Ter- 
centenary authorized  by  two  States, 
366;  co-operation  of  Federal  govern- 
ment, 366;  to  be  made  international, 
366;  age  of  historical  research, 
366-67. 

Historic  sites.  Tour  of  inspection  of,  23- 
25 ;  Valcour  Island,  Schuyler's 
Island,  Crab  Island,  23;  Cumber- 
land Head,  Point  au  Fer,  Windmill 
Point,  24;  Sandy  Point  on  Isle  La 
Motte,  Crown  Point  and  Ticon- 
deroga.  25. 

Historical  Introduction   (Henry  WaY- 

LAND  Hill),  1-9. 


Analytical  Index 


495 


Historical  research.  An  age  of,  366. 

"  History  of  Lake  Champlain,"  by 
Walter  H.  Crockett.  59. 

History  the  best  study  for  the  statesman, 
288;  closely  knit  to  geography,  371  ; 
a  barren  mass  of  lies,  372. 

Hitchcock,  Col.  Charles  H.,  First  Reg., 
N.  G.  N.  Y.,  in  camp  at  Platts- 
burgh  Barracks,  78. 

Hochelaga,  now  Montreal  Island,  90, 
217;  Cartierat,  110.  121  ;  deserted 
in  Champlain's  time,  121;  Iroquois 
driven  from.  427. 

Hochelaga  Sea.  The,  arm  of  the  great 
Gilbert  Gulf.  381. 

Hochelagas,  Trade  meeting  of,  with 
Algonquins  and  Hurons.  in  pageant, 
87.  See,  also,  the  Libretto  of  Hia- 
watha, the  Mohawk.  427-63. 

Ho-de-no-sau-nee.  the  Long  House  of 
the  Iroquois,  208. 

Hodgson,  Adam,  Observations  of,  of 
little  value,  408-9. 

Hoffman,  Samuel  Verplanck,  a  special 
guest,  57. 

Holland  in  the  Orient,  211;  sought  a 
dominion,  265. 

Holley's  "  American  Tourist,"  4 1 8. 

Honfleur,  The  hopes  of,  215;  Cham- 
plain  sailed  from,  356,  357. 

Horicon,  The,  227. 

Hospitality.  Ferocious.  282. 

Hotel  Champlain,  Bluff  Point,  Joint 
meeting  of  Commissions  at,  22  ;  head- 
quarters of  the  New  York  Commis- 
sion at,  58,  61  ;  arrival  of  President 
Taft  at,  75;  Governor  Hughes.  76; 
of  General  Roe,  76;  banquet  to  Presi- 


dent Taft  at,  62,  233-49;  burned, 
243. 

Howard.  Gen.  Oliver  Otis,  delivered 
address  on  "  1812,"  335. 

Howard,  Walter  E.,  member  of  Ver- 
mont Commission,  16,  28 ;  on  Sub- 
Committee,  29. 

Howe,  Lord  George  Augustus,  Ques- 
tion of  burial  place  of,  74;  heroic 
deeds  of,  118,  157;  high  character 
of,  144,  157;  death  of.  157.  158. 
I  70,  I  82  ;   soldierly  qualities  of.  288. 

Howe.  Sir  William,  planned  to  meet 
Burgoyne  at  Albany.  161. 

Hubbardtown.  Engagement  of  Generals 
Eraser  and  St.  Clair  near.  1  62. 

Hudson.  Henry,  and  Champlain  dis- 
covered river  and  lake  in  same  year, 
120,  326;  had  not  yet  cruised  up  the 
river,  126;  Champlain  two  months 
earlier  than,  149,  363;  Canada  will 
help  celebrate  the  Tercentenary  of, 
205 ;  and  Champlain  brought  mis- 
sion of  peace,  206;  belongs  to 
humanity.  206;  and  the  Half  Moon 
in  Penobscot  Bay.  210;  and  Cham- 
plain might  have  met.  264;  both  pos- 
sessed of  the  same  dream,  296. 

Hudson,  The  basin  of  the,  265 ;  the 
beautiful.  296. 

Hudson  Bay  Company,  The.  chartered. 
Ill;  claims  of.  disputed  by  French 
fur  traders.   III;    took  in  the  North 

West  Co.,  m. 

Hudson-Fullon  Commission,  The,  336; 
executive  officers  of  the.  336;  Report 
of.  by  Edward  Hagaman  Hall,  336. 

Hudson  valley  outlet  dammed  formed 
Lake  Albany,  380. 


496 


Analytical  Index 


Hudson's  Bay,  206;   the  majestic,  296. 

Hughes,  Gov.  Charles  Evans,  in- 
terested in  a  celebration,  16-17;  ap- 
pointed two  members  of  New  York 
Commission,  22 ;  presided  at  joint 
meeting  of  Commissions  at  Hotel 
Champlain,  Sept.  6,  1907,  22;  ap- 
proval of  celebration  in  message  of, 
28;  chairman  of  First  Commission, 
40;  assistance  and  hearty  endorse- 
ment from,  61  ;  arrival  of,  with  Mrs. 
Hughes,  at  Bluff  Point,  July  4th,  and 
reception  of,  76;  reviewed  the  Tenth 
Regiment,  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  at  Crown 
Point,  77,  136;  and  at  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga,  77;  with  staff  at  Pitts- 
burgh Barracks,  78;  address  at 
Crown  Point  Forts,  1  18-19:  A  gate- 
way to  a  continent,  scene  of  rivalries 
of  Old  World  powers,  118;  three 
nations  join  in  recognition  of  heroic 
sons,  118;  Fort  Frederic  established, 
H  8 ;  in  hands  of  French  and  English 
by  turn,  119;  finally  American,  1  19. 
Address  at  Ticonderoga,  1 42-45 : 
The  place  of  romance  and  the  scene 
of  conflict,  142-43;  four  men,  143" 
44;  Champlain,  143;  Montcalm, 
144;  Lord  Howe,  1 44 ;  Ethan  Allen, 
144;  the  spirit  of  the  Revolution, 
145;  reconsecration,  145;  intro- 
duces Vice-Admiral  Uriu,  I  75  ;  pro- 
posed cheers  for  President  Taft,  180; 
introduces  President  Taft,  185.  Ad- 
dress at  Chff  Haven,  192-93:  Not 
easy  to  repeat  first  official  visit,  1  92 ; 
Champlain  a  man  of  faith,  192; 
United  States  a  land  of  faith  and 
tolerance,   193;    introduces  President 


Taft,  its  worthy  head,  1 93 ;  Presi- 
dent returns  compliments  to,  1 93. 
Address  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks, 
198-200:  Amity  and  concord  of  the 
nations,  1 98 ;  thanks  to  the  Commis- 
sion, 198;  at  peace,  even  with  Ver- 
mont, 198-99;  the  first  chieftain  and 
the  last  victor,  Champlain  and  Mac- 
donough,  199-200;  thanks  to,  from 
Governor  Prouty,  201.  Toastmaster 
at  banquet  to  President  Taft,  234; 
remarks,  234-35 ;  the  Indian  of  the 
Long  House,  the  English,  the  Dutch, 
Alaska,  234;  a  great  united  people, 
our  local  patriotism,  the  President, 
235 ;  on  the  absence  of  James  S. 
Sherman,  237;  remarks  introducing 
Ambassador  Jusserand,  237-38;  re- 
marks introducing  James  Bryce,  239: 
England  our  teacher,  Bryce  our  in- 
terpreter, 239;  the  tribute  of  James 
Bryce  to,  24 1  ;  introducing  Rodolphe 
Lemieux,  representing  our  brethren  of 
Canada,  242 ;  introducing  Lomer 
Gouin,  247;  Governor  Prouty  on,  at 
Burlington,  258;  remarks  of,  at 
Burlington,  259-61  :  A  New  Yorker's 
appreciation  of  Vermont,  259;  Ethan 
Allen  a  home  ruler,  259-60;  inde- 
pendence of  Ethan  Allen,  260;  our 
national  unity,  260;  rivalry  of  State 
efficiency,  260-61  ;  the  conference  of 
Governors,  261  ;  remarks  at  Burling- 
ton banquet,  286-88:  If  Champlain 
had  foreseen  this  celebration,  286;  our 
intimate  association  with  three  great 
men,  Taft,  Jusserand,  Bryce,  286- 
87;  no  disparagement  of  Canada, 
287;    value  of  the  reunion  and  cele- 


Analytical  Index 


497 


bration,  287;  the  study  of  American 
history,  287-88;  a  guarantee  of  peace, 
288;  what  shall  we  do  with  it,  288; 
with  the  Commission  and  guests  at 
Isle  La  Motte,  302;  praise  for,  317; 
remarks  at  Isle  La  Motte,  321-22; 
the  spot  where  we  may  really  cele- 
brate, 321-22;  the  place  of  worship, 
322 ;  consulted  regarding  site  for 
monument,  34 1 . 

Huguenots  under  Admiral  Coligny, 
Failure  of,  to  make  settlements  along 
the  coast,   I  1 0. 

Hunter,  Col.,  recommended  building  a 
fort  on  Lake  Champlain,  393. 

Huron,  Lake,  discovered  by  Cham- 
plain,  327. 

Hurons,  Battles  of  the  Algonquins  and, 
with  the  Iroquois,  on  Lake  Champlain, 
2.  4,  315;  Champlain  and  the,  202; 
boundary  between,  and  Mohawks, 
222;  in  vision  of  the  past,  306,  308; 
Champlain  wintered  with,  in  Georgian 
Bay  territory,  365 ;  expedition  of, 
against  Iroquois.  365. 

Husbandman,  The,  outlasts  the  hunter, 
122. 

Hyde,  Ebenezer,  settled  on  Isle  La 
Motte,  316. 


IBERVILLE,  PIERRELE 

A     MOYNE,    SIEUR    D'.  founder    of 
New  Orleans,  from  Quebec,  271. 

Ice    or    snow    not    to    be    named    with 
Canada,  287,  321. 

Illinois   River,   French  military  post  on 
the.   III. 
33 


Illustrations,  List  of,  vii-viii. 

Independence  Day  celebration  at  Bur- 
lington, 253. 

India  may  be  fed  by  Kansas,  330. 

Indian,  The,  in  undisturbed  possession, 
126;    survivor,  165;   gone,  266. 

Indian  allies  of  French  and  English, 
214. 

Indian  pageants.  The  public  interested 
in  the,  74;  at  Crown  Point,  63,  77; 
given  by  a  band  of  Indians  under 
L.  O.  Armstrong,  86;  three  subjects 
of  the,  86;  floating  island  represent- 
ing the  sacred  island  of  Tiotiake,  86; 
construction  of  the  float,  86-87; 
drama  of  "  Hiawatha  "  enacted,  87- 
88;  Iroquois  driven  from  Montreal 
Island  to  Lake  Champlain,  88,  89; 
Hiawatha  establishes  Confederacy  of 
the  Five  Nations,  88,  89;  story  told 
in  "  The  Master  of  Life,'*  by  D.  D. 
Lighthall,  88;  the  "Spectator"  in 
the  Outlook  on  the,  88-90;  actors  in 
the,  86,  89-90;  at  Crown  Point, 
117,  136;  at  Ticonderoga,  187;  at 
Plattsburgh,  187;  at  Burlington 
viewed  by  President  Taft,  280;  suc- 
cess of,  31  7;  at  Rouse's  Point,  334; 
whence  players  in,  were  drawn,  427. 

Indians,  Canadians,  and  soldiers.  Band 
of,  attacked  the  Mohawk  towns,  391. 

Indians,  Number  of,  the  same  to-day  as 
when  white  men  came,  121;  not 
permanent  settlers,  121;  policy  of 
Government  towards  the,  1  22  ;  war- 
ring tribes  of,  270;  at  Isle  La  Motte, 
302;  salute  the  cross.  305.  307; 
delegations  from  original  tribes  of, 
314. 


498 


Analytical  Index 


Indians  feasted  by  Burgoyne,  8,  222, 
229. 

Indians  of  the  pageants  defeated  Na- 
tional Guard  in  sham  battle  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  90;  in  the  parade  at  Bur- 
lington, 280. 

Indians  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  Champlain 
friendly  with  the,  1  I  0,  2 1  3. 

Individual  right.  The  assertion  of,  265. 

Inspiration,  A  week  of,  288. 

Intelligence  diffused,  331. 

Interest,  Popular,  in  the  celebration,  29. 

Interests,  Local,  of  two  States,  to  be  con- 
sidered, 55;  successfully  adjusted, 
55-56. 

International  Conference  at  Windmill 
Point  in  1766,  1.  24. 

International  relations,  235,  284,   318. 

Introduction,  Historical  (HeNRY  Way- 
LAND  Hill),  1-9. 

Invitation,  official.  Copy  of  the,  68. 

Invitations,  Official  and  Special,  Com- 
mittee on,  57-58. 

Invocation,  The,  Champlain  Sunday,  94. 

Iroquois,  The,  and  the  struggle  for 
America  (Elihu  Root),  207-14. 
For  analysis  see  author  entry. 

Iroquois,  Cause  of  hostility  of  the,  to  the 
French,  2.  89,  121.  127-28.  151. 
208,362;  battles  of,  with  Algon- 
quins  and  Hurons  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain. 2.  4.  118,  149-51.  167-68. 
217.  223-25,  315;  Isle  La  Motte 
once  a  camping  ground  of  the,  4,  315; 
speech  of  chief  of.  to  Burgoyne,  8; 
place  of  Champlain's  battle  with  the, 
74,  362 ;  descendants  of  the.  acting 
in  the  Indian  pageants,  89;  power- 
ful allies  of  the  English.   128.  208; 


the  implacable,  148.  151;  war  of, 
with  the  French,  152;  Ho-de-no- 
sau-nee,  the  Long  House  of  the  Iro- 
quois, 208,  213-14;  in  the  agricul- 
tural stage,  with  a  constitution,  208; 
faithful  allies  of  the  English,  213-14; 
the  tameless.  217;  valleys  of  the 
faithless,  222 ;  the  Indian  of  Indians 
turns,  225 ;  M.  Jusserand  on  Sena- 
tor Root  and  the,  290;  in  vision  of 
the  past,  306,  308;  Lake  the  home 
of  the,  358-59;  expedition  of 
Hurons  and  Champlain  against,  365 ; 
expedition  of  de  Tracy  against,  388; 
driven  from  Hochelaga,  427. 

Iroquois  allegiance,  Perpetual  question 
of,  392. 

Iroquois  Confederacy,  Mohawks  leaders 
of  the,  385  ;  what  if  Champlain  had 
won  the  friendship  of  the,  396. 

Iroquois  River,  The.  later  called  Riche- 
lieu. 356. 

Isle  aux  Noix,  French  under  de  Bour- 
lamaque  retreated  to,  3 ;  fortified  by 
Montgomery  and  Schuyler.  6;  sick 
American  soldiers  at,  6;  Isaac  Weld 
driven  ashore  on,  406 ;  Mr.  Matthews 
found  unfinished  vessels  at,  409; 
Bernhardt,  Duke  of  Sachsen- Weimar- 
Eisenach,  on,  423. 

Isle  La  Motte,  Historic  record  of,  4, 
327;  General  Schuyler  joined  Gen- 
eral Montgomery  at.  6;  sick  Ameri- 
can soldiers  at,  6;  site  of  first  French 
settlement  in  the  valley.  25 ;  celebra- 
tion exercises  to  be  held  at,  27.  366; 
religious  services.  27;  first  Christian 
worship  in  Vermont  held  on.  32.  301 . 
327;    Archbishop  of  Quebec  invited 


Analytical  Index 


499 


to  religious  celebration  at,  58;  raised 
$500  for  the  occasion,  60.  Bi-State 
programme  of  celebration  exercises  at, 
67;  the  climax  of  the  celebration 
reached  at,  on  a  perfect  day,  73,  301  ; 
United  States  Cavalry  camped  at,  75  ; 
Indian  pageants  given  at,  86;  first  oc- 
cupancy of  lake  shores  at,  I  26,  30 1  ; 
Champlain  at,  148,  220;  granted  to 
French  officials  and  soldiers,  152, 
316;  the  quarried  blocks  of,  221; 
first  land  visited  by  Champlain,  301, 
311;  population  of,  301  ;  first  visit 
to,  of  regular  United  States  troops, 
302 :  arrival  of  Governor  Prouty, 
302 ;  of  Governor  Hughes  and 
guests,  302 ;  Champlain  Sunday  at, 
109.  302-4;  Pontifical  mass,  Mon- 
signor  Roy  officiating,  302-3 ;  ad- 
dress of  welcome  by  Rev.  Thomas  A. 
Prevel,  303;  sermon  by  Rev.  Abbe 
Lecocq,  303;  address  by  H.  W. 
Hill,  303;  services  at  Ste.  Anne's, 
July  9th,  304-12:  Address,  French 
and  English,  of  Rt.  Rev.  T.  A. 
Prevel,  304-8;  sermon,  by  Rev. 
P.  J.  Barrett,  309-12;  high  mass 
celebrated,  3 1 2.  Literary  exercises, 
Governor  Prouty  presiding,  3 1  2-32 : 
Invocation  by  Rev.  John  M.  Thomas, 
312-13;  address  of  welcome  by 
H.  W.  Hill,  314-18:  Canadians 
and  French  settlers  on,  attacked  by 
Indians,  316;  occupied  by  British  in 
War  of  1812.  316;  battery  erected 
on,  316;  Downie's  and  Mac- 
donough's  fleets  at,  316;  fit  place  for 
close  of  celebration,  318;  thanks  to 
citizens  of,  318;    remarks  of  Benoist 


d'Azy,  320-2  1  ;  remarks  by  Gover- 
nor Hughes,  321-22;  Champlain,  a 
poem,  by  JoHN  Erskine,  323-26; 
address  by  WENDELL  P.  STAFFORD, 
326-32 ;  dedication  of  Boulder 
Monument,  333-34;  exercises  at, 
concluded  the  week's  celebration, 
335 ;  logical  site  for  memorial  to 
Champlain,  340.  342 ;  favored  by 
Vermont  Commission,  340;  first 
island  discovered  by  Champlain.  362 ; 
Capt.  John  Schuyler  at.  391  ;  Maj. 
Peter  Schuyler  found,  deserted,  391. 

Isle  of  Orleans.  The.  269. 

Italy  but  a  name,  211. 

JAMESTOWN.  English  settlement  at. 
110;  Christopher  Newport's  colon- 
ists at,  210;  nearest  English  settle- 
ment to  Lake  Champlain,  264;  settled 
two  years  before  Champlain,  315, 
326. 

Jamestown  Celebration,  The,  234. 

Japan,  the  "  Yankee "  nation  of  the 
East,  178. 

Jarvis,  George  T.,  member  of  Vermont 
Commission,  52;  at  joint  meeting 
with  New  York  Committee.  345. 

Jefferson.  Thomas.  245. 

Jenne.  Mrs.  C.  S.  F.,  presented  tablet  in 
memory  of  soldiers  of  War  of  1812, 

335. 

Jesuit  mission  in  1 642  at  Isle  La  Motte, 

4. 
Jesuits,  Heroism  of  the.  107.  112,  123, 

150;    earthquake  of    1663   reported 

by  the,   375;    drew  no  line,  in  their 

mission  work.  387. 


500 


Analytical  Index 


Johnson,  General  William,  defeated 
Baron  Dieskau  at  Lake  George,  5; 
fruitless  expedition  of,  against  Fort 
Frederic,  129;  a  frontier  baron, 
gathers  an  army,  153;  defeated 
Dieskau  after  losing  many  in  ambush, 
154-55;  named  Lake  George,  154; 
built  Fort  William  Henry,  155;  re- 
warded by  Parliament  and  made  a 
baronet,  155,  395. 

Jogues,  Isaac,  Jesuit  martyr,  123,  215, 
306.  308;  at  Isle  La  Motte,  315; 
in  1 642  a  captive  of  the  Iroquois, 
escaped,  387;  a  messenger  of  peace, 
387;  killed  on  third  visit  to  Mohawks, 
387-88. 

Joint  meeting  of  the  New  York  and 
Vermont  Commissions,  at  Hotel 
Champlain,  Sept.  6,  1907,  22;  Sub- 
Committee  of  three  created,  22-23; 
at  Albany,  Dec.  21,  1907;  resolu- 
tions adopted,  26;  at  Montpelier, 
Albany,  Burlington  and  Plattsburgh, 
55. 

Joint  memorial  from  both  Commissions 
sent  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  43 ; 
request  in,  43-44;  referred  to  Sen- 
ate Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs,  44. 

Jolief,  Louis,  150;  inspiration  in  ex- 
ample of,  213;  discovered  the  Mis- 
sissippi, 271. 

Jonson,  Ben,  on  America,  289. 

Juneau,  Salomon,  father  of  Milwaukee, 
272. 

Juniper  Island  as  a  site  for  the  memorial, 
342. 

JussERAND,  Jean  Adrien  Antoine 
Jules,  French  Ambassador,  guest  at 


review  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  78; 
at  Ticonderoga,  139;  remarks  of,  at 
Ticonderoga,  180-83:  Champlain, 
180;  Montcalm,  soldier  and  man, 
181-83;  Bougainville  and  Levis, 
182;  France  and  England,  183;  re- 
marks of,  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks, 
201-3;  thanks  for  honors  to  Cham- 
plain, 201-2;  the  spirit  of  Cham- 
plain dwells  in  President  Taft,  202; 
Champlain  hated  a  useless  war,  202 ; 
continued  remarks  in  French,  203; 
guest  at  banquet  to  President  Taft, 
233;  introduction  of,  by  Governor 
Hughes,  237-38;  remarks,  238-39; 
friendship  of  France  for  America,  and 
England,  238;  France  not  a  flighty 
nation,  238;  Champlain  straight- 
forward and  a  colonizer,  238; 
founded  and  died  at  Quebec,  238; 
"  He  goes  far  that  never  turneth," 
239;  Vermont's  official  welcome  to, 
255;  remarks  of,  at  Burlington,  262- 
63 ;  Champlain's  description  of  the 
Lake,  262;  the  name  Vermont,  262; 
France  a  sower,  has  reaped  American 
friendship,  262-63;  Gov.  Hughes' 
estimate  of,  286;  Gov.  Prouty,  in- 
troducing, 289 ;  remarks  at  banquet, 
289-90;  thanks  for  the  celebration, 
289;  Champlain,  289;  Ben  Jonson 
on  Canada,  289;  Senator  Root's 
good  English,  290;  the  Iroquois, 
290;  the  French  not  numerous 
enough,  290;  France  has  produced 
new  Champlains,  290;  returned 
to  Washington,  297;  represented 
France,  318. 


Analytical  Index 


501 


KALM,  PETER,  described  the 
Champlain  Valley,  36;  visited 
Isle  La  Motte  in  1749,  315;  on 
Fort  St.  Frederic,  393-94;  visit  of. 
exceptional,  403. 

Karoi,  Spanish  sculptor.  Statue  of 
Legaspi  by,  I  94. 

Kepler  and  Galileo,  326. 

Kingsley,  Darwin  Pearl,  President  of 
Lake  Champlain  Association,  423. 

Kirby-Parrish,  Mrs.  L.,  painted  five  oil 
portraits  of  Champlain,  60. 

Knapp,  H.  Wallace,  interested  in  a 
celebration,  16;  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  50,  52;  on  com- 
mittees, 5  1  ;  permanent  chairman,  5  I  ; 
chairman  of  Exercises  at  Plattsburgh 
Barracks,  197;  remarks  introducing 
Governor  Hughes,  197;  presenting 
Governor  Prouty,  200;  presenting 
Ambassador  Jusserand,  201  ;  intro- 
ducing Ambassador  Bryce,  203 ;  pre- 
senting Rodolphe  Lemieux,  205  ;  in- 
troducing Elihu  Root,  207;  intro- 
ducing Daniel  L.  Cady,  214;  intro- 
ducing Pres.  Taft,  230;  at  banquet 
to  President  Taft,  233;  presented 
Governor  Hughes  as  toastmaster,  234; 
and  Witherbee  consulted  Governor 
Hughes  on  site  for  monument,  341. 

Knights  of  Columbus  at  high  mass,  Ste. 
Anne's  Chapel,  312. 

Kohl,  J.  G.,  devotes  a  chapter  to  Bur- 
lington, and  to  "  See  Champlain," 
423. 

LA  BARRE,   GOVERNOR  LE 
FEBVRE  DE,  burned  Iroquois 
villages,  2 1  3. 


La  Fayette,  Marquis  de,  181,  227; 
shared  in  laying  a  cornerstone  of  a 
building  at  the  college  in  Burlington, 
4I0-II;  and  escort  left  Burlington 
on  the  Phoenix  and  the  Congress, 
411. 

La  Fresniere,  Sieur  de,  sent  to  occupy 
Crown  Point,    123. 

La  Heve.  High,  215. 

La  Motte  Lussiere,  Pierre  de  St.  Paul, 
Sieur  de,  built  Fort  Ste.  Anne  in 
1665-6  on  Isle  La  Motte,  4,  301, 
315,  388. 

La  Nove,  leader  of  band  against  Mo- 
hawk tovkTis,  39 1 . 

La  Prairie,  Capt.  John  Schuyler  cap- 
tured French  at,  391;  Maj.  Peter 
Schuyler  attacked,  391. 

La  Rocque,  Dr.  J.  H.,  Chief  marshal  of 
parade  at  Plattsburgh,  231. 

La  Salle,  Rene-Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur 
de,  Champlain  divides  pre-eminence 
with,  149,  150;  inspiration  in  ex- 
ample of,  2 1  3 ;  a  great  explorer,  264 ; 
Champlain  more  considerate  than, 
264;  descended  the  Mississippi,  265  ; 
named  the  Louisiana  territory,  271. 

Labor  organizations  co-operated,  60. 

Lac  Hiroquoise,  or  Mer  des  Iroquois, 
names  of  Lake  Champlain,  390. 

Lady  of  the  Snows,  32 1 . 

Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  see  La  Fayette 
above. 

Lafontaine,  Louis  C,  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  50,  52;  on  com- 
mittees, 51-52;  on  Committee  on 
Literary  Exercises,  56;  appointed  to 
invite  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec,  58; 
portrait  of  Champlain  presented  to,  by 


502 


Analytical  Index 


the  Commission,  60;  on  Funds  for  a 
Monument  Committee,  339;  on  Com- 
mittee on  Location  and  Cost  of  Monu- 
ment, 339;  on  Committee  on  Erection 
of  Memorial  at  Crown  Point,  343; 
urged  a  lighthouse  as  form  for  memo- 
rial, 345  ;  at  joint  meeting  with  Ver- 
mont Committee,  345-46. 

Lake  Albany,  a  great  glacial  lake,  380. 

Lake  Champlain,  Discoverer  of,  I,  31, 
142.  220,  361-62;  grants  of  land 
about,  I  ~2 ;  battles  on,  between 
Algonquins  and  Hurons  and  the  Iro- 
quois, 2,  4,  363;  two  naval  engage- 
ments on,  3-4 ;  a  paradise  for  the 
aborigines,  4 ;  Parkman  on,  5 ; 
settlements  begun  on,  5 ;  Peter  S. 
Palmer,  historian,  on  activities  on, 
5-6;  the  naval  engagements  on, 
under  Benedict  Arnold,  7;  British 
expeditions  on,  8;  Macdonough's 
naval  victory  on,  8-9;  under  sov- 
ereign control  of  United  States,  8,  9 ; 
comparable  with  foreign  lakes,  9; 
tour  of  inspection  of  historic  sites  on, 
by  the  two  Commissions,  23-25;  res- 
olution that  Tercentenary  of  the  dis- 
covery of,  be  celebrated,  26;  dis- 
covery of,  antedates  that  of  Hudson 
River,  3  i  ;  highway  and  battle  ground 
for  rights  of  New  York.  34,  396; 
engagements  and  expeditions  on,  dur- 
ing Revolution  and  War  of  1812, 
34-35  ;  1 00th  anniversary  of  steam 
navigation  on,  36;  a  part  of  the 
system  of  improved  waterways,  36; 
in  literature,  36-37;  date  of  Cham- 
plain's  entrance  into  not  agreed  upon, 
74;  no  permanent  settlement  on,  118; 


the  mastery  of,  a  decisive  factor  in 
holding  the  territory,  124-25;  the 
"  door  of  the  country,"  129;  famous 
in  two  wars,  141;  its  beauty,  141; 
the  memories  of.  146;  the  discovery. 
147-48;  importance  of.  as  a  high- 
way. 152;  struggle  transferred  to, 
156;  named,  167,  175;  the  battle- 
ground of  two  hundred  years,  1 86- 
87,  396;  Champlain  on,  220-22;  a 
highway  and  a  battle  field,  227,  396; 
Caniaderi  guarunte,  "  the  gate  of  the 
country,"  264-65 ;  never  a  great 
highway  of  commerce,  266;  a  dwell- 
ing of  peace  and  quiet,  266;  charms 
of  the  country  around,  267;  visitors 
drawn  to,  by  Tercentenary,  336; 
great  beauty  of,  336;  western  shore 
of  old  crystallines,  374,  377;  from 
Port  Henry  to  Bluff  Point,  374;  the 
glacial.  Lake  Vermont,  380;  the 
Hochelagan  Sea,  381  ;  present  form 
of,  381-82;  Isaac  Weld's  experi- 
ences on,  405 ;  compared  to  Der- 
wentwater,  4 1  6. 

Lake  Champlain  Association.  Officers 
and  meetings  of,  423. 

Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary,  Samuel 
Champlain  and  the.  See  HiLL, 
Henry  Wayland. 

Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commis- 
sion of  New  York,  Legislation  for 
the,  47-50;  members  of  the,  50,  52; 
organization  of  the,  at  Plattsburgh. 
5 1  ;  committees  constituted  by  the, 
51-52;  work  of  the.  55-68:  Meet- 
ings held  at  various  places,  55;  joint 
meetings  with  the  Vermont  Commis- 
sion, 55,  58;  two  problems:    A  suit- 


Analytical  Index 


503 


able  celebration,   and   a   suitable  per- 
manent memorial  to  Champlain,   55; 
local   interests   of    two   States   consid- 
ered and  satisfactorily  served,  55-56, 
73;     general    public    given    a    cele- 
bration  unexcelled,    56,    73;     multi- 
farious   details    of    the    work,     56; 
at    second    meeting    in    New    York 
city  the  literary  exercises  were  put  in 
the    hands    of    Senator    Hill,    Judge 
Booth  and  Mr.  Lafontaine,  56;    this 
committee  sought  co-operation  of  Am- 
erica's foremost  literary  men,  56;   and 
of   the   highest   official   representatives 
of  the   nations   and   states   concerned, 
56-57;    great  scope  for  the  commem- 
orative ceremonies,  57;    events  in  his- 
tory of  three  nations,  57;    richness  of 
Revolutionary     period,     57;       early 
strife  of  French  and  Indian,  and  Brit- 
ish supremacy,  57;    War  of    1812, 
5  7 ;      specially    invited    guests,     5  7 ; 
Committee  on  Official  Invitations,  57- 
58;    mayors  of  many  American  and 
Canadian  cities  invited,  58;    meetings 
of  the,   at  Ticonderoga,   Plattsburgh, 
and  Burlington  in  May,    1909,  58; 
numerous  meetings  in  June  at  Platts- 
burgh, and  at  Hotel  Champlain,  head- 
quarters, 58;    religious  features  of  the 
celebration  on  July  4th  especially  sat- 
isfactory, 58;     co-operation  of  Fed- 
eral troops,  and  military  bodies  from 
New  York,   Vermont,   and   Canada, 
58-59;     delegates    from   the,    confer 
with  Federal  authorities  at  Washing- 
ton,  59;     advertising  the  celebration, 
59;    literary  publications,  59;    illus- 
trated press  aided,  59;    State  Educa- 


tion Department  published  a  pamphlet, 
59;  Publicity  Bureau  organized,  59; 
a  commemoration  medal,  60;    oil  por- 
traits of  Champlain,  60;    co-operation 
of  organized  bodies  in  the  Champlain 
region,  60;    shooting  tournament  and 
boat  races,  60;    display  of  fireworks, 
60;     local   independent   funds   raised, 
60;    special  acknowledgments  for  as- 
sistance, 61  ;    cordial  co-operation  of 
people  of  the  Champlain  Valley,  61  ; 
Gov.  Hughes  heartily  endorsed,  61  ; 
excursion  fares  secured,  61  ;    steamer 
Ticonderoga    engaged    for    the,    61  ; 
docks    repaired,    62;     paper    on    the 
geology  of  the  valley   prepared,   62; 
literary  program  completed  May  29th, 
62;    Bi-State    program    of    exercises 
formulated,  62 ;   religious  exercises  for 
Sunday,    July    4th,    62;     week-day 
programmes,  spectacular,  musical,  pa- 
triotic,  and  literary,   62;    the   militia 
and  the  military,  62;  literary  offerings 
and  official  representation  the  crowning 
success,  62-63;     the  voices  of  three 
great  nations,  63 ;    the  official  Bi-State 
Programme,  in  full,   63-68;    thanks 
to,     from    Governor    Hughes,     1 98 ; 
thanks    to,     from    Governor    Prouty, 
258;    at  Isle  La  Motte,  302;    meet- 
ing of,  August  13,  1908.  339;  Com- 
mittee on  Raising  Funds  for  a  Monu- 
ment appointed,  339;    Committee  of 
five  on  Location  and  Cost  of  Monu- 
ment,  339;     review  of  the  sites  sub- 
mitted to,  by  Secretary  Hill,  339-40; 
hearing  on  availability  of  Mt.  Defiance 
as  site   for  memorial,   34 1  -42  ;    mo- 
lion    regarding    site    adopted,     342; 


504 


Analytical  Index 


further  discussion,  342;  Vermont 
Commission  invited  to  a  joint  confer- 
ence, 343;  appropriation  for  joint 
memorial  at  Crown  Point,  343;  vote 
of,  for  site,  343 ;  Committee  on  Erec- 
tion of  Memorial  at  Crovm  Point, 
343;  on  Erection  of  Memorial  at 
Bluff  Point  or  Plattsburgh,  344; 
joint  meeting  of  the  Committees 
at  Columbia  University,  345 ;  Bill 
passed  by  Congress  reported  to  meet- 
ing in  Albany,  347;  authorized  erec- 
tion of  the  McLellan  design,  348; 
Committee  on  Memorial  near  Platts- 
burgh authorized  to  make  contract, 
348. 
Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commis- 
sion of  New  York  State,  created,  18; 
Report  of  the  First  Commission,  2|- 
40:  Resolution  creating  the  Commis- 
sion, 2 1  ;  members,  22 ;  joint  meet- 
ing v^'ith  Vermont  Commission,  22 ;  a 
tour  of  inspection,  23-25  ;  conference 
with  the  Secretary  of  State,  25-26; 
action  taken  at  joint  meeting  at  Al- 
bany, December  21,  1907,  26;  sun- 
dry suggestions,  27;  a  memorial  vol- 
ume recommended,  27-28;  approval 
of  the  Governor  in  message  to  Legis- 
lature, 28;  the  Vermont  Commission, 
28;  popular  interest  in  the  matter, 
29;  action  of  patriotic  societies,  29- 
3 1  ;  historic  importance  of  the  Cham- 
plain  region,  31,  32;  first  Christian 
worship  in  Vermont,  32 ;  CrowTi 
Point  and  Ticonderoga,  32-33;  his- 
toric associations,  33;  in  defense  of 
New  York's  rights,  33-34;  exploits 
in    three    wars,    34-35 ;     landmarks 


that  should  be  preserved,  35 ;  what 
it  is  proposed  to  celebrate,  36;  Lake 
Champlain  in  literature,  36-37; 
progress  of  the  Champlain  region,  37; 
New  York  and  Champlain,  37-38; 
Champlain  anniversaries  elsewhere, 
38;  significance  of  the  anniversary  of 
1909,  38;  recommendation:  An  act 
to  provide  for  the  celebration,  39-40. 

Lake  Champlain  Tercentenary  Commis- 
sion of  Vermont,  Members  of  the,  52; 
joint  meetings  of,  with  New  York 
Commission,  55,  58;  thanks  extended 
to,  61  ;  guests  at  the  review  at  Platts- 
burgh Barracks,  79;  thanks  to,  from 
Governor  Prouty,  332 ;  Official  Re- 
port of  the,  335 ;  cordial  relations 
with  New  York  Commission,  335 ; 
Bi-State  programme  of  exercises, 
335 ;  invited  to  conference  on  site  for 
memorial,  343 ;  resolution  of,  for 
Crown  Point  as  site,  343;  to  con- 
tribute balance  of  money  for  the 
memorial,  343;  joint  meeting  of  the 
Committees  at  Columbia  University, 
345. 

Lake  Champlain  Yacht  Club,  Regatta 
of  the,  at  Burlington,  254. 

Lake  Como,  9,  141. 

Lake  Erie,  The  French  crossed.  111. 

Lake  George,  Dieskau  defeated  by  Gen. 
W.  Johnson  at,  5,  154-55;  named 
by  Gen.  Wm.  Johnson,  155;  vast 
flotilla  of  Gen.  Abercromby  on,  157; 
drum-beat  rumbles  from,  1 68 ; 
Champlain  learned  of,  362. 

"  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain," 
by  W.  Max  Reid.  59. 


Analytical  Index 


505 


Lake  Herocoies,  Governor  Winthrop 
calls  Lake  Champlain,  390. 

Lake  Huron,  Champlain  first  white  man 
to  see,  364. 

Lake   Lugano,   141. 

Lake  Maggiore,  9,  141. 

Lake  Nippissing  crossed  by  Champlain, 
364. 

Lake  Ontario,  French  forts  on  south 
shore  of,  I  ;  Champlain  first  white 
man  to  cross,  364-65. 

Lake  St.  Peter  crossed,  147,  356. 

Lake  Simcoe,  365. 

Lake  Valcour,  a  supposed  pre-glacial 
lake.  379. 

Lake  Vermont,  a  glacial  Lake  Cham- 
plain, 380-81. 

Lakes,  Great  fresh  water,  379-80. 

Lalande,  companion  of  Jogues,  killed, 
388. 

Lalemant,  Gabriel,  Jesuit  martyr,  123. 

Lamothe-Cadillac  founded  Detroit,  272. 

Landmarks  that  should  be  preserved,  35. 

Lands,  French  grants  of,  in  and  about 
Lake  Champlain,  I,  397;  not  con- 
firmed, 1-2;  not  occupied,  397; 
many  British  grants  not  taken  up,  397; 
contest  between  New  York  and  New 
Hampshire  over,  398. 

Language  and  literature,  A  common, 
295. 

Laramee,  Abbe,  of  Redford,  N.  Y., 
303. 

Lascelles,  Frank,  manager  of  Quebec 
Tercentenary,  consulted,   15,  358. 

Laurier,  Sir  Wilfrid,  interested  in  a  cele- 
bration, 16-17;  a  descendant  of  early 
French  stock,  123;  and  the  Georgian 
Canal,  206. 


Laval-Montmorency,  Francois  Xavier 
de,  pioneer  bishop  of  Canada,  301  ; 
Mgr.  Roy  a  successor  to,  303;  in 
vision  of  the  past,  306,  308;  at  Isle 
La  Motte,  315;  visits  Fort  Ste. 
Anne,  389. 

Le  Caron,  Joseph,  Inspiration  in  exam- 
ple of,  213. 

Leclerc,  interpreter,  272. 

Lecocq,  Rev.  Abbe,  preached  sermon  at 
services  at  Isle  La  Motte,  303. 

Legaspi,  Statue  of,  and  Erdinator,  in 
Manila,   194. 

Legislation  and  organization,  47-52 
Acts  and  amended  Acts,  47-50 
members  of  the  Commission,  50-52 
organization,  5  I  ;  committees,  5  1-52 
members  of  the  Vermont  Commission, 
52. 

Lemieux,  Rodolphe,  Remarks  of,  at 
Plattsburgh  Barracks,  205-6:  Cana- 
dian people  and  American  the  same, 
205  ;  French  and  English  a  Canadian 
combination,  205 ;  President  Taft  a 
Canadian  neighbor,  205  ;  Champlain 
and  Hudson,  205-6;  men  who  be- 
long to  humanity,  206;  President 
Taft  on  remarks  of,  230;  guest  at 
banquet  to  President  Taft,  233;  re- 
marks at  banquet,  243-47:  President 
Taft.  243;  the  celebration,  243-44; 
Canada  and  the  United  States,  ex- 
change of  population,  244;  com- 
mercially, 245;  politically,  245-46; 
development  of  Canada,  246-47; 
speech  at  Burlington,  269-74:  The 
Quebec  Tercentenary,  269;  three 
nations  there  and  here,  269;  the 
Champlain  Valley  hallowed  ground. 


506 


Analytical  Index 


270;  the  highway  of  war  and  travel. 
270;  the  French  pioneers,  271-72; 
the  Puritans  and  the  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
272-73;  the  entente  cordlale,  273- 
74;  toast:  Canada.  293-97;  Presi- 
dent Taft  settled  down  and  up  in 
Canada  yearly,  294;  Canadian  set- 
tlers in  United  States,  and  in  Civil 
War,  294;  a  common  language  and 
literature,  295;  Emerson  and  the 
New  England  poets,  295  ;  Parkman. 
295-96;  Henry  Hudson,  296; 
Champlain,  examples,  296-97;  rep- 
resented Canada,  3 1  8. 
Leo  the  XIII  and  the  Philippines,  195. 
Leroles,  M.  de.  taken  prisoner  by  Mo- 
hawks, 388. 
Lescarbot,  Marc,  Efforts  of.  for  a  New 

France,  unsuccessful,  2 1  0. 
Lester,   Col.   James  W.,   Second  Regi- 
ment. N.  G.  N.  Y.,  in  camp  at  Platts- 
burgh  Barracks.   77-78. 
Letter  of  transmission,  iii. 
Levasseur,    A.,    secretary   to   Gen.    La- 
fayette. 411. 
Levis.    Francois    Gaston,    at    Fort    Ste. 
Anne.    33;     at    Fort    Carillon,    182. 
215;    in  the  vision  of  the  past.  305. 
308. 
Levis  Channel.  The.  376;   closed.  378; 

restored  after  uncounted  ages.  381. 
Libretto  of  the  play  of  Hiawatha.  425- 

63. 
Life  of  common  men  made  belter,  328- 

30. 
Lighthall.    W.    D..    The    "Master    of 

Life"by.  88.  427. 
Limestones,  The.  378. 


Lindsey.  Mgr.,  archdeacon  of  Quebec, 
303. 

Linnet,  The.  in  English  squadron  at 
Cumberland  Bay.  I  63.  1  64. 

Lion  Couchant.  Le.  220. 

Literary  offerings,  the  crowning  success, 
62. 

Literary  programme.  A,  to  be  perfected, 
56;  Committee  on,  selected,  56; 
completion  of,  announced,  62. 

Literature  and  language,  A  common, 
295. 

Littebrant,  Capt.  W.  T.,  commanding 
squadron  of  Fifteenth  United  States 
Cavalry,  75. 

Lloyd,  Brig.-Gen.  James  H.,  command- 
ing Third  Brigade,  N.  G.,  76;  thanks 
of  the  Commission  due,  76;  in  camp 
with  his  troops.  77;  in  command  of 
second  division,  the  Canadian  troops, 
in  parade  at  Plattsburgh.  232. 

Local   programmes   of   sports   and   con- 
tests. Rivalry  in.  73. 
"  Logan's  Fault."  374. 
L'Oiseau,  Rev.  Father,  S.  J.,  of  Mon- 
treal,  pronounced   a   final   allocution, 
303. 
London,  Historical  pageants  at,  1  3. 
Long  House  of  the  Iroquois,  The,  208; 
government  and  territory  of  the,  209; 
only    barrier     against     incursions     of 
Canadian     French    and    Indians,     2. 
208.  213-14;    honor  to.  214.  234. 
Long  Island  in  Champlain's  path.    148. 
Loomis.  Daniel  A.,  member  of  Commit- 
tee   on    Commissary.    52;     assistance 
rendered  by,  6 1 . 


Analytical  Index 


507 


Loring,  Capt.,  of  Amherst's  army,  pur- 
sued French  vessels  near  Valcour 
Island,  23. 

Lotbiniere,  Michael  Eustace  Gaspard, 
contended  for  land  grants,  397. 

Louis  XIV,  The  forerunners  of,  2 1 1  - 
12. 

Louisburg  to  be  taken,  158;  Pepperrell 
at,  2 1  3. 

Louisiana,  name  given  by  La  Salle,  27 L 

Louisiana  purchase.  The,  III. 

Low,  Seth,  Address  at  Crown  Point, 
July  5,  120-25:  New  France  ante- 
dates New  England,  120;  "New 
Netherlands"  of  the  Dutch,  120; 
the  plough  gives  better  title  to  land 
than  sword  or  gun,  120;  battle  with 
Iroquois  fatal  to  France,  121;  as 
many  Indians  living  to-day  as  then, 
121-22;  a  feudal  France,  ended  in 
two  revolutions,  I  22  ;  French  names 
of  prosperous  communities,  123; 
Jesuit,  123;  French  occupation  of 
CrowTi  Point,  brought  on  a  crisis, 
123-24;  defeat  of  France  led  to 
American  Revolution,  1 24 ;  control 
of  the  lake  meant  control  of  the  re- 
gion, 1  24-25  ;  amity  of  five  peoples 
concerned,  1 25 ;  remarks  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  176-77;  queries  as  to  place 
of  Champlain's  fight  and  name  of  Fort 
Frederic  answered  by  popular  vote, 
1  76 ;  destinies  of  the  continent  settled 
by  a  few  men,  1  76-77. 

Lower  Canada,  The  French  population 
of,  186. 

Lower  Silurian,   Period  of  the,   376. 


Ludden.  Rt.  Rev.  Bp.  Patrick  W.,  at 
service  at  Cliff  Haven  on  Champlain 
Sunday,    1  02. 

Lyman,  Gen.  Phineas,  built  Fort  Ly- 
man (Fort  Edward),   153. 

MABIE,  HAMILTON 
W  R  I  G  H  T.— The  Story  of 
Lake  Champlain,  147-65:  The  dis- 
covery, 147-48;  a  great  figure  ap- 
pears, 1 49-5 1  ;  seeds  of  conflict, 
151-53;  a  frontier  baron:  Sir  Wil- 
liam Johnson,  153-56;  the  decisive 
struggle,  156;  Montcalm,  156-57; 
the  defeat  at  Ticonderoga,  158;  the 
colonists  in  arms,  158-59;  the  strug- 
gle to  command  the  Lake,  159-61; 
Benedict  Arnold,  161;  Burgoyne  at 
Ticonderoga,  161-63;  the  Battle  of 
Plattsburgh,  1 63-64 ;  a  century  of 
peace  brings  ancient  foes  together  as 
modern  friends,  1 64-65 ;  fair 
France,  England,  Canada,  the  Indian 
welcomed  by  their  host,  the  United 
States,  165. 

McCloskey,  John,  prelate,  in  vision  of 
the  past.  306,  308. 

McComb,  Alexander,  Tablet  to,  400. 

McCuen,  Hon.  Robert  W.,  moved  joint 
resolution  for  appointment  of  Vermont 
Commission,  1  5  ;  member  of  Commis- 
sion, 1  6,  28. 

Macdonough,  Rodney,  an  invited  guest, 
57. 

Macdonough,  Commander  Tliomas, 
Naval  victory  of,  8-9,  34,  1 34.  1 63- 
64.  228,  328,  364;  Congress 
awarded  gold  medal  to,  9;  Theodore 
Roosevelt  on,  9,  199;   Commissioners 


508 


Analytical  Index 


visit  site  of  victory  of,  23;  in  Cum- 
berland Bay,  141,  174;  tribute  of 
Governor  Hughes  to,  199-200;  be- 
longs to  humanity,  206;  in  vision  of 
the  past.  305,  308;  fleet  of,  at  Isle 
La  Motte,  316;  there  should  be  a 
statue  of,  at  Cumberland  Head,  340; 
inscription  on  tablet  to,  399;  fleet  of, 
built  near  Vergennes,  407. 

Macdonough  National  Military  Park, 
398. 

Macdonough's    farm    near    Plattsburgh, 

416. 

Mac  Kaye,  Percy. — Ticonderoga,  A 
ballad,  1 66-75 :  The  White  Cheva- 
lier, "  Champlain,"  1  67 ;  the  Iro- 
quois, 167;  Maqua  and  wild  Algon- 
quin, I  68 ;  Abercromby,  Howe, 
Stark,  Montcalm,  169;  Putnam, 
death  of  Howe,  170.  172;  the 
abatis,  171;  Ethan  Allen,  172-74; 
the  Ro]ial  Savage  1  74 ;  Carleton, 
Mount  Defiance,  Burgoyne,  Macdon- 
ough.  1  74. 

McKinley,  William,  visited  Isle  La 
Motte,  315. 

McLaughlin,  Chester  B..  President  of 
Lake  Champlain  Association,  423. 

McLellan,  Hugh,  competing  architect, 
345;  design  of,  accepted,  346;  de- 
scription of  the  design  for  memorial, 
346-47;  erection  of  design  of,  or- 
dered, 348. 

McMahon.  Rt.  Rev.  Dennis  J.,  Address 
of,  at  service  at  Cliff  Haven  on  Cham- 
plain Sunday,  1 02-3 ;  presided  at 
celebration  July  7th,  address.  191- 
92:  Three  Presidents  as  guests,  191  ; 
the  School,  1 9 1  -92 ;  introduced  Gov- 


ernor Hughes,  I  92 ;  introduced  Pres- 
ident Ta  ft,  193;  introduced  Cardinal 
Gibbons,    196. 

McMahon,  M.  D.,  member  of  Vermont 
Commission,   1  6,  28. 

Macomb,  General  Alexander,  retreated 
from  Plattsburgh,  1  63. 

McSherry,  Rev.  P.  S.,  Bp.  of  Soulh 
Africa,  at  the  service  at  Cliff  Haven 
on  Champlain  Sunday,  102,  103. 

Magellan,  The  skiffs  of,  186;  and 
Legaspi,  in  the  Philippines,  1 94 ;  the 
equal  of  Columbus,  264. 

Magnetic  iron  ore,  377. 

Magpie  Islands,  The,  216. 

Mahan,  Capt.  A.  T.,  on  the  little  Amer- 
ican navy  on  Lake  Champlain,  7 ;  his 
idea  of  influence  of  sea  power  illus- 
trated, 125. 

Malby,  George  R.,  David  J.  Foster  on 
work  done  by,  in  putting  bill  through 
Congress,  179;  at  banquet  to  Presi- 
dent Taft,  233. 

Man.  The  divinity  of,  332. 

Manle's,  The,  torpedo  boat,  took  part  in 
the  Lake  celebration,  76,  85 ;  naval 
escort  to  the  President,  76. 

Maqua,  the  Mohawk  Indians,    1 68. 

Marauding  parties  in  the  French  inter- 
est, 396. 

Marion,  Abbe,  cure  of  Ste.  Anne  of 
Ottawa,   master   of  ceremonies,    303. 

Marjoribanks,  Alexander,  compared 
scenery  to  Island  of  Bute  and  Firth  of 
Clyde,  421. 

Marquette,  Jacques,  150;  inspiration  in 
example  of,  213;  discovered  the  Mis- 
sissippi. 271  ;  in  the  vision  of  the 
past,  306,  308. 


Analytical  Index 


509 


Massachusetts  sent  men  against  the 
French.  2  1 4. 

Massacre  near  Fort  William  Henry, 
156. 

"Master  of  Life."  The,  by  W.  D. 
Lighthall,  gives  the  story  of  Hiawatha, 
88. 

Matet,  leader  of  band  against  Mohawk 
towns.  391. 

Matheson,  Rev.  James,  at  the  Lake,  4 1 4. 

Matthews.  Mr.,  in  "  A  Summer 
Month,"  describes  Plattsburgh  and 
Burlington.  409-10. 

Maude,  John,  described  the  Champlain 
Valley,  36. 

Maurepas,  Frederic,  French  Secretary  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  Fort  Frederic  named 
for,  5,  363.  393. 

Mayflorver,  The,  eleven  years  later  than 
the  Don  de  Dieu,  1 20. 

Mayors  of  many  American  and  Cana- 
dian cities  invited,  58. 

Meads,  L.  R.,  at  hearing,  341. 

Medley,  Julius  George,  found  scenery 
of  Lake  Champlain  inferior  to  that  of 
Lake  George.  422. 

Memorial,  permanent.  Resolution  of 
joint  Commissions  recommending  a, 
26;  resolution  of  Daughters  of  Am- 
erican Revolution  recommending,  30. 

Memorial  volume  of  the  celebration  rec- 
ommended, 27-28. 

Men,  The,  whose  exploits  made  history, 
143-46. 

Menendez,  Colony  of,  destroyed  by  the 
Gascon  de  Gorgues,  209-10. 

Menu  cards  at  the  banquet,  233. 

Mer  des  Iroquois,  French  name  of  Lake 
Champlain,  141,  363. 


Merritt,  Edwin  A.,  Jr..  at  banquet  to 
President  Taft,  233. 

Mesopotamia,  unfolding  its  ancient  life, 
366. 

Mexico,  Champlain  visited.  356. 

Michaud,  Sgr.,  in  vision  of  the  past,  306. 
308. 

Military  and  naval  features.  73-79; 
public  interested  in  the.  74;  success 
of.  318. 

Military  and  Naval  Committee,  Report 
of,  75-79. 

Military  glory  passes  in  vision  of  the 
past,  305,  308;  felicitates  Champlain, 
306,  308. 

Military  organizations,  voluntary,  of 
Canada,  Co-operation  of,  arranged 
for,  58;    participation  of  the,  62. 

Military  review  at  Ticonderoga,  I  39. 

Militia  of  Vermont,  Co-operation  of,  ar- 
ranged for.  58;  participation  of  the, 
62. 

Milton.  John.  born.  330, 

Milwaukee,  Salomon  Juneau,  father  of, 
272. 

Minoan  age  immediately  succeeded  the 
Neolithic,  366. 

Missionaries,  the  French,  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons on,    107;  Rt.   Rev.   Prevel  on, 

305,  307;  in  the  vision  of  the  past, 

306,  308. 

Missionary,  The  black-robed,  270. 
Missisquoi  Bay,  P.  Stansbury  describes, 

409. 
Mississippi.   Colonization   of   the   lower. 

111.213;    La  Salle  descended  the. 

265. 
Mitre,  Most  Rev.  Abbe,  of  Oka,  Don 

Antoine,  303. 


510 


Analytical  Index 


Mohawk  River,  Sir  W.  Johnson  hved 
on  the.   153. 

Mohawk  towns.  Raid  upon,  39 1 . 

Mohawk  Valley,  The,  to  the  south,  148; 
plan  to  take  possession  of,    161. 

Mohawks.  The,  one  of  the  Five  nations, 
208;  chief  of,  killed  by  Champlain. 
210;  boundary  between  Hurons  and, 
222,  389 ;  feasted  by  Burgoyne, 
229;  Lake  the  home  of  the,  358-59; 
foes  of  Algonquins  and  Hurons,  359; 
easternmost  leaders  of  the  Iroquois 
Confederacy,  385 ;  murder  Father 
Jogues  and  Lalande,  387-88. 

Monongahela,  The  decisive  struggle  be- 
gun on  the,  1  56. 

Monro,  Colonel,  surrendered  Fort  Wil- 
liam Henry,  155-56. 

Monroe,  James,  visited  Burlington,  Ver- 
gennes,  and  Plattsburgh,  407. 

Montagnais,  223;  party  of,  with  Cham- 
plain,  359. 

Montcalm  de  Saint- Veran.  Louis  Joseph, 
Marquis  de,  victor  at  Ticonderoga,  3, 
134,  140,  158,  170,  395-96;  called 
to  defense  of  Quebec,  3 ;  succeeded 
Dieskau  and  captured  Fort  William 
Henry,  5,  395;  heroic  deeds  of, 
118;  death  of,  124,  157;  occupied 
Fort  Frederic  and  moved  on  to  Caril- 
lon, 1 29 ;  reproduction  of  cross  of 
victory  of,  set  up,  1  40 ;  character  of, 
144,  156-57;  set  up  the  cross,  144; 
protagonist  of  the  French  in  the  con- 
test, 156;  labors  before.  157;  the 
man  and  the  soldier,  181-83;  hon- 
ored by  his  enemies,  1 83 ;  James 
Bryce  on,  1 84 ;  President  Taft  on, 
1 86 ;   inspiration  in  example  of,  213; 


the  genius  of,  214;  our  tribute  to, 
237;  the  purity  and  loyalty  of,  288; 
in  the  vision  of  the  past,  305,  308; 
skill  and  devotion  of,  395. 

Montgomery,  General  Richard,  Expe- 
dition in  1  775  under,  and  Gen.  Philip 
Schuyler,  5,  6,  118,  160;  captured 
St.  John's  and  Montreal,  6,  160; 
killed  at  Quebec,  6,  160;  embarked 
from  Crown  Point,  1 30 ;  Frederick 
the  Great  praised  generalship  of,  1  60- 
61  ;  buried  in  New  York,  160;  met 
Gen.  Philip  Schuyler  at  Isle  La 
Motte,  316;  Boulder  Monument  to 
campaign  of,  333. 

Montpelier,  Joint  meeting  of  Commis- 
sions at,  55. 

Montreal,  captured  by  Gen.  Montgom- 
ery, 6,  160;  the  future  city,  147; 
failure  of  colony  at,  210;  four  days 
from  the  Pacific,  270;  Champlain 
passed  site  of,  356. 

Montreal  Island  called  earlier  Tiotiake, 
86;  and  Hochelaga,  90;  Iroquois 
driven  from,  88,  89. 

Monument  Committee  instructed  to  pro- 
cure plans,  342  ;    discharged.  343. 

Monument  to  Champlain,  Crown  Point 
the  place  for  a,  1  29 ;  board  of  arbi- 
tration suggested  to  select  site  for, 
236. 

Moore,  Governor  Henry,  Conference  of, 
on  Canadian  boundary  line,  with  Sir 
Guy  Carleton,  at  Windmill  Point,  24, 
363. 

Moore,  Commodore  J.  W.,  Invited 
guest,  57. 

Moose  of  Mountains,  Mt.  Mansfield, 
226. 


Analytical  Index 


511 


Morrill.  Justin  S..  284. 

Moseodebewadso,  Indian  name  of  Mt. 
Mansfield.  226. 

Motor  boat  contest  arranged  for.  60. 

Mount  Defiance  fortified  by  Burgoyne, 
140;  Abercromby's  neglected  oppor- 
tunity. 158;  Gen.  Phillips  occupies, 
1  62,  1  74 ;  land  on,  offered  as  site  for 
memorial.  34 1 . 

Mount  Desert  Island.  Champlain's  de- 
scription of,  264. 

Mt.  Mansfield,  133,  148.  31  1  ;  Moseo- 
debewadso. Moose  of  Mountains, 
midst  the  snows.  226. 

Mount  Marcy.  148,  311;  Tahawas. 
the  wedge  that  splits  the  sky,  226. 

Mt.  Trembleau,  375. 

Mt.  White  Face.  133.  148;  Waho- 
partenie,  226. 

Mountain  tops  should  be  kept  open,  268. 

Mullany,  James  A.,  341. 

Murray,  Charles  Augustus,  rode  from 
Ogdensburgh  to  Plattsburgh,  414; 
charmed  with  Burlington,  414-15. 

Murray  Bay,  Canada,  President  Taft's 
residence  at.  186;  will  welcome  him 
back.  205 ;    President  Taft  on.  230. 

Murray  Highlanders,  French  descend- 
ants of  the.  1  86. 

Musical  features  suggested.  27. 

Myers.  John  R..  member  of  comnu'ttees. 
5  I  ;    assistance  rendered  by.  6 1 . 

NABBYCROMBIE.   MRS..    158. 
Nadeau,  Fred,  owner  of  Crown 
Point.  32. 
Napoleon,  admirer  of  Ossian,  181. 
Nation,  Establishment  of  a  new,  234; 
a  closely  united  people,   235,  260; 


three  hundred  years'  development  of 
a.  256. 

National  Guard  of  New  York,  Co- 
operation of  bodies  from  the,  arranged 
for,  58;  participation  of  the,  62,  76- 
78;  officers  in  command  of  the,  76; 
Third  Brigade  ordered  to  encamp  for 
field  service  at  Crown  Point  and 
Plattsburgh  Barracks,  76;  defeated 
by  the  Indians  in  sham  battle  at  Ti- 
conderoga,  90. 

Nations,  Three,  contended  for  posses- 
sion of  this  region,  4 ;  events  in  the 
history  of,  to  be  celebrated.  57; 
voices  of.  heard,  63.  118;  descend- 
ants of.  honor  Montcalm,  144;  say 
'  never  do  it  again."  1  85  ;  fit  place 
for  celebration  of.  1 85 ;  amity  and 
concord  of,  198,  204;  few  spots  for 
joint  celebration  by.  203;  James 
Bryce  on,  240;  at  Quebec  and  Lake 
Champlain,  269 ;  in  unity  in  the  cele- 
bration, 279;  distinguished  citizens 
of,  314,  315;  bonds  of  friendship  of 
the,  strengthened,  335. 

Naval  engagements  on  Lake  Champlain, 
Two,  3;  under  Benedict  Arnold,  7; 
under  Macdonough,  8-9 ;  near  Val- 
cour  Island,  23;  tablets  in  commemo- 
ration of,  399. 

Naval  exhibit.  The,  see  United  States. 

Navy,  Flotilla  from,  76,  85. 

Neeser's  "  Statistical  Tables  of  the  U.  S. 
Navy,"  9  note,  23. 

Nelson,  Coad.  Bp.  Richard  H. — ■ 
Sermon  in  Plattsburgh  on  Champlain 
Sunday,  109-1  3:  Attempts  of  various 
nations  to  secure  America,  1 09 ;  di- 
vided between  Spain  and  Portugal  by 


512 


Analytical  Index 


Pope  Alexander  VI,  109;  France 
and  England  rivals  for  possession, 
110;  Verrazano  and  Cartier,  110; 
Champlain  and  his  colonial  policy, 
110;  English  adventurers.  110-11; 
importance  of  fur  trade,  110-11; 
"  The  Gentlemen  Adventurers  of 
England  "  and  the  Hudson  Bay  Co., 
Ill;  the  French  on  the  lower  Mis- 
sissippi, 111;  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish wars  and  loss  of  Canada,  111; 
relations  of  Canada  and  the  United 
States,  112;  religion  in  the  history  of 
the  nation,  112;  England  and  France 
Catholic  countries,  112;  an  American 
Cathohc  Church,  113;  services  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  to  the  Amer- 
ican people,  I  1  3. 
Nero  held  artist  a  prisoner,  331. 
New  Amsterdam  transferred  to  the  Eng- 
lish. 211;  work  of  the  Dutch  in,  234. 
New    Brunswick,     Champlain    mapped 

coast  of,  357. 
New  England  earlier  known  as  "  New 
France,"    120;     Champlain   mapped 
the  coast  of,  327. 
New  England  coast,  Champlain  explored 
and    mapped    the,     357;      extended 
farther  eastward  than  now,  376. 
New    Foundland,     Champlain     at     the 

Banks  of,  356. 
"  New  France,"  as  a  name,  did  not  ad- 
here, 1  20 ;  Parkman  on,  1  22  ;  mon- 
uments of  the  founders  of,  123;  con- 
testing for  pre-eminence,  143;  voy- 
ager between  France  and,  217,  237; 
highway  between,  and  New  England, 
270;    to  found  a,  Champlain's  ideal. 


304,  307;    Jacques  Cartier  gave  the 
name,  355;    Champlain's  voyages  to, 
357;    restored    to    French    King    by 
England,  365. 
New   Hampshire   sent   men   against   the 

French,  214. 
New  Hampshire  grants.  The.  259,  260. 

265. 
New  Jersey  sent  men  against  the  French. 

214. 
"  New  Netherlands."   as  a   name,   ad- 
hered, 120. 
New  Orleans  founded.  111;  tradition  of 

French  at,  150. 
New  World,  England  and  France  rivals 
for  possession  of  the,   110;    contribu- 
tion of  France  to  making  of  the,  1  49 ; 
great  figures  in  morning  light  of  the, 
150;    the  "far-flung  battle  line"  in 
the,  156. 
New  York  city.  Plan  to  seize,  161. 
New   York   Colony,    Expeditions   from, 
against  French  and   Indians,   33-34; 
colonial  governors  of,  advocated  build- 
ing a  fort  on  Lake  Champlain,  393. 
New  York  Legislature,  Concurrent  reso- 
lution of,    appointing   a   Commission. 
17,  21;  adopted,  22 ;  Act  to  provide 
for  the  celebration  of  the  Tercenten- 
ary, 39-49,  49-50,  349;  Act  of.  ac- 
cepting gift  of  lands  at  Crown  Point, 
344. 
New      York      Historical      Association, 
Twelfth  annual  meeting,  4-6;  Octo- 
ber, 1910,  held  on  Steamer  Vermont, 
423. 
New   York    Province,    Crucial   circum- 
stances in  history  of.  1 4. 


Analytical  Index 


513 


New  York  senators  and  assemblymen, 
guests  at  the  review  at  Plattsburgh, 
79. 

New  York  State,  Probable  result  if 
Champlain  had  claimed  territory  of, 
in  name  of  Henry  IV,  I  ;  part  of, 
might  have  been  included  in  domain 
of  Canada,  2  ;  struggle  of  France  and 
England  for  territory  of,  31  ;  repre- 
sented by  its  executive  head,  62~63; 
the  big  brother  of  Vermont,  146;  in- 
formally picturesque  language  of, 
154;  sent  men  against  the  French, 
214;  congratulated  by  President 
Taft,  235;  thanks  to,  from  Governor 
Prouty,  258. 

New  Yorker,  Emotion  of  a,  upon  Ver- 
mont soil,  259. 

New  Zealand.  329. 

Newfoundland,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert 
on,  110;  Verrazano  claimed,  for 
France,  1 1 0 ;  French  fishermen  at, 
150. 

Newport,  Christopher,  Colonists  of,  at 
Jamestown,  2 1 0. 

Newspapers  and  magazines  devoted  il- 
lustrated articles  to  the  celebration, 
59. 

Newton,  I.  C,  at  hearing,  341. 

Niagara,  Fort  at,  153,  158. 

Niagara  Falls,  Champlain  learns  of, 
356. 

Nicollet,  Jean,  150;  inspiration  in  ex- 
ample of,  2 1  3. 

Noailles,  Marechal  de,  on  Montcalm, 
181. 

Normandy  and  Brittany,  French  sailors 
and    explorers    from   the   harbors   of, 
149-50. 
34 


North,     Mrs.     Clayton     N.,    presented 

Boulder  Monument  to  the  State,  333. 
North  West  Bay,  222. 
North  West  Co.  organized.  111. 
Northern  ice-pack,  Champlain  gazed  on 

the.  217. 
Northland,    The,  passes    to    the    Gaul, 

219. 
Nouvelle  France.  The  wondrous  land  of. 

215. 
Nova  Scotia,  Champlain  mapped  coast 

of,  357. 

/^'DRIEN.    HON.    JOHN    F.. 

^"^    ■'--'     Assistance  rendered  by,  6 1 . 

"  O  God,  beneath  thy  guiding  hand," 
hymn,  98. 

"  O  God  of  Bethel,  by  whose  hand," 
hymn,  94. 

Old  Crown  Point,  see  Crown  Point,  and 
Barnes,  Albert  C. 

Oneidas,  one  of  the  Five  nations,  208; 
council  house  of  the,  223. 

Onondaga  Lake,  Champlain  wounded 
near,  365. 

Onondagas,  The,  one  of  the  Five  na- 
tions, 208. 

Ontario,  Lake,  discovered  by  Cham- 
plain, 327. 

Ontario,  Province  of.  Premier  and  Gov- 
ernor-General of,  invited,  58. 

Order  of  service  for  July  4th,  Cham- 
plain Sunday,  93-101. 

Oregon  Territory,  Title  to  the,  estab- 
lished by  settlers,   120. 

Organization,  see  Legislation  and  organi- 
zation. 

Organized  bodies  resident  in  Champlain 
region.  Co-operation  of,  desired.  60. 


514 


Analytical  Index 


Orient,  Holland  in  the,  211;  wealth  of 
the,  within  grasp,  270. 

Ostemoy,  The,  223. 

O'SulIivan.  Rev.  Dennis,  preached  ser- 
mon at  services  at  Isle  La  Motte,  303. 

O'SulIivan,  Rev.  W.  J.,  officiated  at 
vesper  service  at  Burlington,  on 
Champlain  Sunday,  101. 

Oswego,  Plan  to  capture,  161. 

Ottawa  River  explored  by  Champlain, 
110.206,269,  327,  364. 

Ottawas  feasted  by  Burgoyne,  8. 

Otter  River  called  Wonakakatuk,  226; 
celebration  at  Fort  Cassin  on,  334. 

Owen,  Robert  L.,  senator  from  Okla- 
homa, a  Cherokee  Indian,   1 22. 

PACIFIC,   The,    three   centuries  ago 
and  now,  329. 
Painting,  Masterpieces  of,  before  1609, 

332. 
Palmer,  Peter  S.,  historian,  on  activities 

on  Lake  Champlain,  5-6,  8. 
Paltsits,  Victor  H.,  State  Historian,  at 
the  first  joint  meeting  of  the  Commis- 
sioners,  22 ;   assistance   rendered   by, 

61. 

Panama,  Champlain  first  said  there 
should  be  a  canal  at,  206,  269,  356. 

Panton,  Arnold,  at,  328. 

Parade  and  review  at  Burlington,  280. 

Parker,  Mrs.  E.  S.,  great-granddaugh- 
ter of  Seth  Warner,  334. 

Parker,  Capt.  O.  H.,  commanding  Com- 
pany "  M  "  of  Vermont  National 
Guard,  302. 

Parkman,  Francis,  on  Lake  Champlain, 
5;    on   New  France,    122;    on   the 


Seven    Years'    War,     156;    a    name 
grateful  to  Canadian  ears,  295. 

Past.  Vision  of  the,   303-6,   307. 

Patriotic  and  Fraternal  Society  Day  at 
Burlington,  254. 

Patriotic  societies.  Secretary  instructed  to 
procure  data  relative  to.  27;  action 
of,  29-31  ;  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution,  29-30;  Society  of 
the  Colonial  Wars,  30-31  ;  other,  in 
the  Champlain  valley,  31  ;  assistance 
of  many,  acknowledged,  61  ;  of  Ver- 
mont women  erect  Boulder  Monu- 
ment, 333. 

Patriotism,  Historic  celebrations  in- 
centives to,  14;  pride  in  our  local, 
235. 

Patten,  Edmund,  found  Burlington  ho- 
tels    inferior,     420;      disturbed     by 
noises    of     freight    handling,     420; 
praised     customs     arrangements     and 
travel  facilities,  42 1 . 

Paulding,  Col.  William,  valuable  assist- 
ance from,  61  ;  and  Twenty-fourth 
United  States  Infantry,  75 ;  in  the 
parade  at  Plattsburgh,  232. 

Peace,  World-v«de  reign  of,  in  20th 
century,  242;  the  arts  of,  most  civil- 
izing, 273;  our  gathering  of  these 
representatives  a  guarantee  of,  288; 
what  shall  we  do  with  it?  288. 

Pean,  Sieur,  Major  of  Quebec,  received 
grant  of  Isle  La  Motte,  316. 

Pell,  Howland,  member  of  New  York 
Commission,  50,  52;  on  committees, 
5  1  ;  and  Mr.  Witherbee  visited  Gov- 
ernor's Island,  58;  report  of  Mili- 
tary and  Naval  Committees,  75-79; 
received  President  Taft  and  party  at 


Analytical  Index 


515 


Ticonderoga,  139;  on  Funds  for  a 
Monument  Committee,  339;  on  Com- 
mittee on  Location  and  Cost  of  Monu- 
ment, 339;  presented  claims  of  Ti- 
conderoga, 34 1  ;  on  Committee  on 
Erection  of  Memorial  at  CrowTi  Point, 
343;  at  joint  meeting  with  Vermont 
Committee,  345-46;  reported  pas- 
sage of  bill  by  Congress,  347. 

Pell,  Stephen  H.  P.,  Assistance  of,  ac- 
knowledged, 61  ;  received  and  enter- 
tained President  Taft  and  party  at 
Ticonderoga,  I  39. 

Pell,  William  F.,  Ticonderoga  owned 
by,  and  his  descendants,  33. 

Pell  family.  Fort  Ticonderoga  rebuilt  by, 
141  ;  patriotism  of  the,  145. 

Pelletier,  Sir  Adolphe,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of  Quebec,  guest  at  banquet  to 
President  Taft,   233. 

Pelletier,  Rev.  J.  N.,  pastor  of  St. 
Peter's  Church,  Plattsburgh,  231. 

Pennsylvania  sent  men  against  the 
French,  214. 

Penobscot  Bay,  The  Half  Moon  repair- 
ing in,  210. 

People  of  Canada  and  America  alike, 
205. 

Pepperrell  at  Louisburg,  2 1  3. 

Perrault,  interpreter,  272. 

Perry,  Com.  Oliver  Hazard,  Victory  of, 
125. 

Persia  awakening,  330. 

Peru  Bay,  formerly  Corlaer's  Bay,  390. 

Peta-ou-bough,  "  a  double  lake  branch- 
ing into  two,"  name  of  Lakes  Cham- 
plain  and  George,  389. 

Peta-wa-bouque,  Indian  name  of  Cham- 
plain  valley,  141,  363. 


Phelps,  Edward  J.,  284. 

Philadelphia  Exposition  of  1876,   13. 

Philip  the  Second,  Decline  of  Spanish 
power  with  death  of,  2 1  0- 1  I . 

Philippines,  President  Taft's  experience 
in  the,  194-95. 

Phillips,  General,  officer  with  Burgoyne, 
162. 

Phillipsburgh,  P.  Stansbury  describes, 
409. 

Phoenix,  Burning  of  the,  described  by 
Frances  Wright,  408;  carried  La- 
fayette, 411;  James  Stuart  on,  413. 

Phoenix,  The  new  lake  steamer,  423. 

Pierron,  Father  Jean,  labored  at  Fort 
Ste.  Anne,  33,  389. 

Pilgrim  Fathers  built  the  American  na- 
tion, 273;  came  eleven  years  before 
Champlain,  315. 

Pilotois,  The,  223. 

Pitt,  William,  to  Grenville  on  the  loss 
of  Ticonderoga,   3;    master,  328. 

Pizarro,  a  great  explorer,  264. 

Place  of  Scalps,  The,  225. 

Place  where  echoes  dwell,  Cheonderoga, 
226. 

Plains  of  Abraham,  The,   186,  269. 

Plattsburgh,  Battle  of,  land  and  naval. 
Tablets  in  commemoration  of  the, 
400;  described  by  Miss  Frances 
Wright,  408. 

Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.,  Bi-State  programme 
of  celebration  exercises  at,  July  7th, 
65.  See,  also,  beloTv,  Plattsburgh 
Barracks,  Literary  exercises  at,   197- 

232. 
Plattsburgh,  Celebration  exercises  to  be 
held    at,    37,    366;     engagements   in 
War  of  1812  at  and  near,  34 ;   joint 


516 


Analytical  Index 


meeting  of  Commissions  at,  55;  visit 
of  G)mraission  to,  58;  meetings  at, 
58;  portrait  of  Champlain  to  be  given 
to  a  French  Society  at,  60 ;  fireworks 
on  successive  evenings  at,  60 ;  fund  or 
$10,000  raised  at,  60;  Bi-State  pro- 
gramme of  celebration  exercises  at, 
62,  65;  parade  and  review  at,  75; 
Indian  pageants  given  at,  86;  ser- 
mon at  Trinity  Episcopal  Church,  by 
Bp.  Richard  H.  Nelson,  on  Cham- 
plain  Sunday,  109-13;  defeat  of  the 
British  at,  126;  the  battle  of,  163- 
64;  the  second  Salamis,  228; 
"  French  Day  "  at,  231  ;  mass  and 
sermon  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  231; 
civic  parade  with  floats,  231  ;  address 
at  St.  Peter's  College,  231  ;  Indian 
pageants  at  mouth  of  the  Saranac,  and 
fireworks,  232;  Committee  on 
memorial  near,  344,  348;  military 
post  established  at,  398;  James  Mon- 
roe's visit  to,  407-8;  described  by 
Mr.  Matthews,  409 ;  Capt.  T.  Ham- 
ilton on  Prevost's  rout  at,  415;  pane- 
gyric of  James  Dixon  on  the  Lake  at, 
418-19. 

Pittsburgh,  New  York  Tercentenary 
Parade,  July  7th,  at,  231-32;  mili- 
tary organizations  in  the,  232;  Col. 
C.  D.  Cowles,  grand  marshal,  232; 
President  and  party.  Brigade  of 
U.  S.  I.,  Canadian  troops,  G.  A.  R.. 
civic   organizations,   232. 

Plattsburgh  Barracks,  Literary  exercises 
at,  H.  Wallace  Knapp,  chairman, 
197-232:  Address  of  chairman, 
197;  address  of  Governor  Hughes, 
198-200;       address     of     Governor 


Prouty,  200-1  ;  address  of  Ambas- 
sador Jusserand,  201-3;  address  of 
Ambassador  Bryce,  203-4;  address 
of  Rodolphe  Lemieux,  205-6;  His- 
torical address:  The  Iroquois  and  the 
Struggle  for  America,  by  ElIHU 
Root,  207-14;  Poem:  Champlain 
and  Lake  Champlain,  by  Daniel  L. 
Cady,  2  1  5-29 ;  remarks  of  Presi- 
dent Taft,  230;  evening  parade  at, 
231  ;  New  York  regiments  at,  during 
Civil  War,  398. 

Plattsburgh  Barracks,  The  review  at,  a 
brilliant  affair.  78-79,  197;  2,500 
guests  in  grand  stand,  78;  distin- 
guished guests,  78-79,  197. 

Plattsburgh  Rod  and  Gun  Club,  The, 
arranged  a  shooting  tournament  for  the 
celebration,  60. 

Plaltsburgh,  The,  steam  cutter,  took 
part  in  naval  celebration,   76,  85. 

Plessis,  The,  prelates,  in  vision  of  the 
past,  306.  308. 

Plough,  The,  superior  to  the  sword  in 
giving  title  to  land,   I  20,    1  22. 

Plumley,  Frank.  Remarks  at  Ticon- 
deroga.  1 79-80 ;  the  long  and  the 
short  of  the  Vermont  delegation, 
1  79 ;  the  foothills  of  Vermont  and 
of  the  Adirondacks  embracing  the 
Lake  between,  1 80 ;  at  banquet  to 
President  Taft.  233. 

Plymouth,  English  settlement  at,  110; 
Champlain  in  harbor  sixteen  years  be- 
fore the  Pilgrims,  357. 

Plymouth  Rock,  The  Pilgrims  landed 
on,  eleven  years  after  Champlain  dis- 
covered the  lake,  120.  149.  315; 
over  a  decade  away,  1  26. 


Analytical  Index 


517 


Poetry,    The    masterpieces    of,    before 

1609.  332. 
Pointe  au  Fer  fortified  for  protection  of 

sick  American  soldiers,  6,  24,   316; 

held  by  the  British  till  1788,  8,  24; 

occupied  by  Burgoyne  in   1777,  24, 

220,316. 
Poison,    Francois,    at    Fort   Ste.    Anne, 

389. 
Ponce  de  Leon  came  and  left  no  trace, 

209. 
Pontgrave,  Sieur  de,  and  Champlain  at 

Quebec,  210,  215,  356;    in  charge 

of  colony,  359. 
Port  Fortune,  2 1  6. 
Port  Henry,  222. 

Port  Royal,  Celebration  of  300th  anni- 
versary of  founding  of,  38,  2 1 0. 
Portraits  in  oil  of  Champlain  by  Mrs.  L. 

Kirby-Parrish,  60;  disposition  of,  60. 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  International  peace 

conference  at,  I  78. 
Portugal  in  Brazil,  211. 
Portuguese  navigators,  355. 
Potsdam  sandstones.  The,  377-78. 
Poutrincourt,   Jean  de   Biencourt,  Sieur 

de.  Efforts  of,  for  a  New  France,  un- 
successful, 210,  215. 
Pragmatic  Sanction,  The,  I  I  3. 
Praise  of  famous  men.  The,  selection  for 

Champlain  Sunday,  100-1. 
Prayer,    A,     for    Champlain    Sunday, 

97-98. 
Prayer  for  our  country.  A,  Champlain 

Sunday,  97. 
Preble,  The,  one  of  Macdonough's  fleet, 

228. 
President    of   the    United    States,    The, 

235. 


President's  Day,  July  8th,  at  Burling- 
ton, 254. 

Press,  We  have  no  national,  235;  in- 
fluence of  the,  on  post-prandial  dis' 
cussions,  282. 

Press,  The,  of  Vermont  and  New  York, 
approve  the  project,  29. 

Press-clipping  bureau.  Services  of  a,  en- 
listed, 59. 

Preston,  Willard,  president  of  college  at 
Burlington,  411. 

Pr^vel,  Rev.  Thomas  A.,  Address 
of  welcome  at  Ste.  Anne's,  303; 
address  July  9th,  in  French,  304-6; 
in  English,  306-8 ;  Champlain  pas- 
tor of  his  people,  304,  306;  restrains 
barbarism,  304,  307;  savages  salute 
the  cross,  305,  307;  the  Past 
awakened  in  a  vision,  305-6,  308. 

Prevert,  Sieur,  in  expedition  with  Cham- 
plain, 356. 

Prevost,  Sir  George,  English  massed  un- 
der, 163;  entered  Plattsburgh,  163; 
Capt.  Blane  on  defeat  of,  410;  Mr. 
Beaufoy  on  defeat  of,  412;  Capt. 
T.  Hamilton  on  the  rout  of,  415. 

Princess  Victoria,  Steamer,  from  Mon- 
treal, 416. 

Pring,  Capt.,  erected  battery  on  Isle  La 
Mofte,  316. 

Pringle,  Capt.,  in  charge  of  British  fleet 
which  defeated  Benedict  Arnold  on 
Lake  Champlain,  7. 

Proctor,  Gov.  Fletcher  D.,  approved 
resolution  for  Vermont  Commission, 
and  named  members,  15,  16,  28; 
called  the  matter  to  the  attention  of 
Sen.  H.  W.  Hill.  16;  at  joint  meet- 
ing of   Commissions,   22 ;     assistance 


518 


Analytical  Index 


rendered  by.  61  ;  suggested  the  Ter- 
centenary, 3 1  7. 

Proctor,  Senator  Redfield,  at  conference 
of  Sub-Committee  with  Secretary 
Root,  25,  43. 

Programmes,  Combination  of  features  in 
the.  62. 

Progress  and  development  of  300  years, 
256. 

Prouty,  Gov.  George  H.,  chairman 
of  Vermont  Commission,  52 ;  assist- 
ance rendered  by,  61  ;  with  staff  at 
review  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  78; 
proclaimed  July  4th  as  Champlain 
Sunday,  93;  at  Ticonderoga,  142; 
address:  The  soil  of  New  York,  1  45  ; 
good  will,  and  co-operation  of  New 
York,  146;  lessons  of  the  celebration. 
146;  a  good  second  to  Gov.  Hughes. 
178;  remarks  of,  at  Plattsburgh  Bar- 
racks, 200-1  ;  good  wishes  of  Ver- 
mont. 200;  inspiration  from  the  cele- 
bration, 201  ;  thanks  to  State  and 
Commission  of  New  York,  201  ; 
guest  at  banquet  to  Pres.  Taft,  233; 
chairman  of  Literary  exercises  at  Bur- 
lington, 254;  Vermont's  official  wel- 
come, 255  ;  introduced  Mayor  Burke, 
255-56;  thanks  to  New  York  and 
its  Commission,  introducing  Gov. 
Hughes,  258;  remarks  introducing 
Ambassador  Jusserand,  261  ;  Am- 
bassador Bryce,  263;  Rodolphe 
Lemieux,  268;  Bliss  Carman,  274; 
the  first  citizen  of  a  new  nation,  Pres. 
Taft,  278;  presided  at  banquet, 
280;  introduced  Pres.  Taft,  281  ; 
the  head  of  the  show.  Gov.  Hughes. 
285-86;    M.   Jusserand.   289;    the 


other  side,  Mr.  Bryce.  291  ;  our 
Canadian  friends.  M.  Lemieux,  293; 
with  staff  and  guests  at  Isle  La  Motte, 
302 ;  presided  at  the  literary  exer- 
cises, 312;  introduced  Rev.  John  M. 
Thomas.  312;  introduced  Sen.  H.  W. 
Hill.  313-14;  the  spot  Champlain 
landed  on,  313-14;  praise  for,  317; 
the  foreign  ambassadors  and  the  cele- 
bration. 318-19;  introduced  Com- 
mander d'Azy,  319;  presented  Gov. 
Hughes.  32 1  ;  snowcapped  moun- 
tains. 32 1  ;  presented  John  Erskine, 
323;  introduced  W.  P.  Stafford. 
326;  thanks  all  helpers  and  the  Com- 
mission. 332. 

Providence,  Supremacy  of,  322. 

Pruyn,  Col.  John  L,  in  camp  at  Crovra 
Point  with  Tenth  Reg.,  N.  G.  N.  Y.. 
77;  moved  regiment  to  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga; sham  battle  under  command 
of,  77. 

Publicity  Bureau  organized  and  man- 
aged by  L.  E.  Shattuck,  59. 

Puritan  reaction.  The,  begun,  2 1  2. 

Puritan  tolerance,   1 94. 

Puritans,  The,  satisfied  to  live  close  by 
the  sea,  271  ;  courage  and  patience 
of.  272-73. 

Putnam,  Capt.  Israel,  with  Capt.  Robt. 
Rogers,  attempted  to  capture  Fort 
Frederic.  5.  118;  and  rangers, 
marching  with  Abercromby,   1  70. 


Q 


UEBEC,  Montcalm  needed  for  de- 
fence of,  3 ;  Gen.  Montgomery 
at,  6;  Archbishop  of,  invited  to  share 
in  religious  celebration  at  Isle  La 
Motte,   58;    Champlain   the   founder 


Analytical  Index 


519 


of,  110;  Champlain  set  sail  from, 
147;  futile  expedition  against,  152; 
Wolfe  at,  124.  158;  Champlain  the 
founder  of,  180,  327,  357;  inscrip- 
tion on  tomb  of  Montcalm  at,  183; 
Pontgrave  and  Champlain  at,  2 1 0, 
217;  wooden  fortress  of  Champlain 
at,  213;  Champlain  founded  and 
died  in,  238;  Champlain  knew  how 
to  govern,  264,  358;  word  picture  of, 
269;  French  cavaliers  on  heights  of, 
272;  taken,  328;  Champlain  passed 
site  of,  356;    terrible  winter  at,  358. 

Quebec,  Province  of.  Premier  and  Gov- 
ernor-General of,  invited,  58;  de- 
scendants of  French  settlers  in,  123; 
Lomer  Gouin  on  the,  247-49;  once 
part  of  New  France,  247;  glorified 
Champlain  the  father  of  the  Canadian 
nation,  248;    good  wishes  from,  249. 

Quebec  signifies  "  narrowing  of  the 
stream,"  357. 

Quebec  Tercentenary  Celebration,  1 3, 
15,  38,  86,  124.  243;  M.  Lemieux 
on  the,  269;  diplomacy  at  the,  366; 
Indian  contingent  at,  427. 

Queen  Anne's  war  begun,  396. 

Quinask,  the  arm  that  shielded  Shel- 
burne  Bay,  226. 

DACICOT,  RT.  REV.  A.,  assisted 

^  *■  at  vesper  service  at  Burlington  on 
Champlain  Sunday,  101;  celebrated 
mass  at  St.  Peter's  Church,  Platts- 
burgh,  231. 

Radisson,  Pierre  Esprit,  founder  of  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  111. 

Rafeix.  Jesuit,  389. 


Railroad  excursion  tickets  arranged  for, 
61. 

Raines,  John,  at  banquet  to  Pres.  Taft, 
233. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  Attempts  of,  to 
plant  colonies  on  Roanoke,  1  1 0, 
210;    man  of  letters,   181. 

Rappe,  Louis  Amadeus,  prelate,  in  vision 
of  the  past,  306,  308. 

Raymond,  215. 

Reed,  Rev.  Andrew,  shocked  at  rowdy- 
ism in  Burlington,  414. 

Regatta,  Tercentenary,  of  the  Lake 
Champlain  Yacht  Club,  254. 

Re-gioch-me.  a  Mohawk  Indian,  drovraed 
near  Split  Rock,  389. 

Reid,  W.  Max,  "  Lake  George  and 
Lake  Champlain,"  59. 

Rejiohne,  Dark,  boundary  for  Huron 
and  Mohawk.  222. 

Religion,  Important  part  played  by,  in 
history  of  the  nation,  112;  passes 
in  the  vision  of  the  past,  306,  308 ; 
felicitates  Champlain,  306.  308. 

Religious  features  of  the  anniversary. 
Especial  stress  laid  upon  the.  58;  re- 
sult of.  most  satisfactory.  58;  exer- 
cises appointed  for  Sunday.  July  4th. 
conducted    by    distinguished    prelates, 

62. 

Religious  services.  Suggestions  for  hold- 
ing, 27. 

Report  of  the  First  Lake  Champlain 
Tercentenary  Commission,  2 1  -40. 

Republican  majorities,  284. 

Resolution,  Concurrent,  adopted  by  the 
New  York  Legislature,  appointing  a 
Commission,   17,  21. 


520 


Analytical  Index 


Resolution,  Joint,  appointing  a  Commis- 
sion, passed  by  the  Vermont  Legis- 
lature, 15-16. 

Responsive  reading,  Champlain  Sunday, 
95-96. 

Revenge,  The,  Remains  of,  preserved  in 
fort  at  Ticonderoga,  1  39. 

Revolutionary  period  rich  in  incident, 
34,  57. 

Rhode  Island  sent  men  against  the 
French,  2 1 4. 

Ribaut,  Jean,  and  his  Huguenots  des- 
troyed by  Menendez,  209. 

Richards,  W.  W..  at  hearing.  341. 

Richelieu  River,  British  forces  assembling 
on  the,  6;  Canadian  boundary  line, 
24;  Champlain  at  the,  147,  207, 
219,  356;  a  British  brig  examining 
boats  on  the,  405-6. 

Ridder,  Herman,  first  vice-president  of 
the  Hudson-Fulton  Commission,  336. 

Riley,  John  B.,  member  of  New  York 
Commission,  50,  52;  on  committees, 
51-52;  on  Committee  to  Raise  the 
Roy^al  Savage,  85 ;  on  Funds  for  a 
Monument  Committee,  339 ;  resolu- 
tion of,  339;  on  Committee  on  Loca- 
tion and  Cost  of  Monument,  339; 
chairman  of  Committee  on  a  Separate 
Memorial  at  Bluff  Point  or  Platts- 
burgh,   344. 

River  Boquet,  Burgoyne  feasted  Indians 
at  camp  on,  8,  222,  228. 

River  St.  Charles,  The,  269. 

River  Sorell  fixed  as  boundary  in  1  766, 
24. 

Riviere  de  St.  Amant,  the  Saranac,  22 1 . 
Roanoke   Island,   Sir  Walter   Raleigh's 
colonies  on,   1  I  0. 


Roberts,  James  Arthur,  President  New 
York  Historical  Association,  423. 

Roberval,  Jean  Francois  de  la  Roque, 
Sieur  de.  Failure  of,  210,  355. 

Rochelle,  stronghold  of  the  Huguenots, 
355. 

Rock  beds.  The  ancient,  of  the  valley, 
377.  379. 

Rock  Dunder  as  site  for  memorial,  343. 

Rocks,  Unstable  equilibrium  in  the,  375. 

Roe,  Maj.-Gen.  Charles  F.,  Valuable 
assistance  from,  61  ;  in  command  of 
National  Guard,  76;  thanks  of  the 
Commission  due,  76;  arrival  of,  at 
Hotel  Champlain,  76. 

Rogeo,  or  Regio,  name  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain, 389. 

Rogers,  Capt.  Robert,  famous  scout, 
found  Chimney  Point  abandoned,  5 ; 
with  Capt.  Israel  Putnam  attempted  to 
capture  Fort  Frederic,  5 ;  exploits  of, 
34;  found  Fort  Frederic  in  ruins, 
129. 

Roger's  Rock,    1  70. 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  Suggestions 
that  rehgious  services  be  held  by,  27; 
honor  due  the,  for  services  to  the 
American  people.  113;  the  United 
States  and  the.  in  the  Philippines. 
194-95. 

Roman  Empire,  Idolatry  in  the,  1 04 ; 
Christian  religion  spread  throughout 
the,  105. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  on  Macdonough, 
9;  approved  the  celebration,  43; 
visited  Isle  La  Motte,  315. 

Root,  Hon.  Elihu,  Secretary  of  State, 
Conference  of  Sub-Committee  with, 
25-26,  43;    approval  and  great  in- 


Analytical  Index 


521 


terest  of,  in  celebration,  26,  43;  Mr. 
Bryce  expected  to  take  text  from, 
203.  Historical  address  at  Platts- 
burgh  Barracks;  the  Iroquois  and  the 
struggle  for  America,  207-14:  Re- 
sults justify  interest  in  the  beginning, 
207;  Champiain's  expedition  from 
Stadacona,  207;  battle  with  the 
Iroquois,  208;  the  Five  Nations  and 
their  government,  208-9 ;  period  of 
exploration  and  discovery,  209 ; 
failure  of  settlements,  210;  decline  of 
Spanish  pov^fer,  2 10- 1  I  ;  the  French 
and  English  only  ready  for  expan- 
sion, 211-13;  world  owes  many 
debts  to  France,  213;  the  Long 
House  of  the  Iroquois,  213;  French 
and  Indian  wars,  213-14;  the  final 
struggle,  214;  faithfulness  of  Iro- 
quois, 214;  settlers  not  soldiers  build 
empires,  214;  Pres.  Taft  on  address 
of,  230;  guest  at  banquet  to  Pres. 
Taft,  233;  tribute  of  James  Bryce 
to,  241  ;  Jusserand  on,  and  the  Iro- 
quois, 290. 

Ro-tsi-ich-ni,  "  the  coward  spirit,"  Mo- 
hawk name  of  Lake  Champlain,  389. 

Rouse's  Point,  Fireworks  on  successive 
evenings  at,  60;  appointed  commit- 
tees and  made  an  appropriation,  60; 
Bi-State  programme  of  celebration 
exercises  at,  68;  Indian  pageants  at, 
334. 

Roy,  Mgr.,  auxiliary  bishop  of  Quebec, 
303 ;  replied  to  address  of  welcome, 
305. 

Ropal  Savage,  Wreck  of  the,  lies  near 
Valcour   Island.    34,    57,    174;     at- 


tempt  to  raise  the,  abandoned,  85-86, 
364. 

Ruins,  Military,  in  the  Champlain  val- 
ley, 4. 

Rum,  Supply  of,  running  short,  154. 

Rupert,  Prince,  charter  member  of  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  111. 

Russia  in  semi-barbarism,  211;  new 
birth  of  freedom  in,  330. 

Ryswick,  Treaty  of,  392. 

CABLE  BAY.  215. 

^    Sachems  of  the  Five  Nations,  209. 

Sackett,    Col.    Henry   W.,    secretary   of 

the  Hudson-Fulton  Commission,  336. 
Saguenay,   Champlain  explored  country 

around,  356,  357. 
Sailing  contests  arranged  for,  60. 
St.   Alban's   Choral   Union   at   Isle   La 

Motte.    302 ;    sang  at  dedication  of 

Boulder  Monument,  333. 
St.     Albans,    Confederate     attempt    on 

bank  at,  187;    local  societies  from,  at 

Isle  La  Motte,  312;    celebration  at, 

334. 
St.     Augustine,     French     and     Spanish 

colonies  at,  209-10. 
St.    Charles    River,    Ruins    of    Cartier's 

settlement  on  the,   358. 
St.    Clair,    Gen.    Arthur,    defeated    at 

Ticonderoga  by   Burgoyne,    I  6 1  -62 ; 

in  vision  of  the  past,  305,  308. 
Saint  Croix  River,  2 1  0. 
"  Saint   George  "   and   "  Saint   Denis," 

134. 

St.  John,  Champlain  celebration  at,  1 3, 
38. 


522 


Analytical  Index 


St.  John's,  Sloop  seized  at,  by  Benedict 
Arnold,  6,  34 ;  captured  by  General 
Montgomery,  6;  Burgoyne  embarked 
at.  8;    Isaac  Weld  at.  406. 

St.  Joseph  established  by  Du  Luth,  272. 

St.  Joseph's  Church,  Burlington,  High 
mass  at,  on  Champlain  Sunday.   1 01. 

St.  Lawrence  River  explored  by  Cham- 
plain  to  Lake  Ontario.  110.  327, 
357;  Champlain  friendly  with  In- 
dians north  of  the,  1  1  0.  2 1  3 ;  the 
river,  147;  the  basin  of  the,  265; 
villages  dotting  the  banks  of  the,  269; 
peopled  by  the  French,  328;  British 
fleet  ascended.  365 ;  shares  a  com- 
mon geologic  birth  and  progress  with 
the  Champlain  valley,  372. 

St.  LawTence  channel  sunk  below  sea 
level,  381  ;  upward  movement  of  a 
thousand  feet,   381. 

St.  Louis,  The  white  cross  of,  on  flag 
of  blue.  73. 

St.  Louis,  Tradition  of  the  French  at, 
150;  Chouteau  built  first  house  at, 
272. 

St.  Louis,  Exposition  of,  1  904,  1  4. 

St.    Malo,   Jacques   Cartier   from,    150, 

217. 

St.  Mary's  Cathedral,  Burlington,  Ponti- 
fical mass  at,  on  Champlain  Sunday, 
101. 

St.  Patrick's  choir  of  Montreal.  Music 
at  the  service  at  Cliff  Haven  furnished 
by  the,  102. 

St.  Paul,  Vital  Guerin  chose  site  of, 
272. 

St.  Paul's  churchyard.  New  York,  Mont- 
gomery buried  in.  1  60. 


St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church.  Burling- 
ton. Bp.  Arthur  C.  A.  Hall 
preached  at.  on  Champlain  Sunday, 
101. 

St.  Peter's  Catholic  Church,  Ticon- 
deroga.  High  mass  celebrated  at,  I  39. 

St.  Peter's  Church,  Albany,  Lord 
George  Augustus  Howe  buried  in,  74. 

St.  Peter's  Church,  Plattsburgh,  Mass 
celebrated  at,  231  ;  hymns  by  boys' 
choir  of.  231 . 

St.  Peter's  College,  Plattsburgh,  Civic 
parade  reviewed  at,  and  address  by 
H.  A.  Dubuque.  231. 

St.  Pierre.  2  1  7. 

Ste.  Anne.  Chapel,  with  statue  of,  on 
Sandy  Point,  Isle  La  Motte,  33;  ser- 
vice at,  on  Champlain  Sunday,  1 09, 
302-3;  service  at,  July  9th.  304-12: 
Address  by  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  A. 
Prevel  in  French.  304-6;  in  English, 
306-8;  first  shelter  of  the  divine 
Saviour,  306,  308;  sermon  by  Rev. 
P.  J.  Barrett  at,  309-12;  high  mass 
celebrated  at.  Rt.  Rev.  Thos.  M.  A. 
Burke,  officiating.  312;  societies  re- 
presented at,  3 1 2. 

Ste.  Anne,  Fort  dedicated  to,  at  Isle  La 
Motte,  4. 

Saintonge  aroused,  217;  the  Huguenots 
in,  355. 

Salieres,  de,  commander  of  regiment, 
389. 

Samuel  Champlain  and  the  Lake  Cham- 
plain Tercentenary,  by  Henry  W. 
Hill.  355-67. 

Sandoval,  The,  revenue  cutter,  too  large 
to  pass  through  canals,  85. 


Analytical  Index 


523 


Sandy  Point,  Isle  La  Motte.  25,  301  ; 
historic  associations  of,  33;  chapel  of 
Ste.  Anne  on,  33;  place  of  Cham- 
plain's  landing,  315,  362. 

Sanford,  Henry  Gansevoort,  secretary  of 
Society  of  the  Colonial  Wars,  31. 

Saranac,  The,  called  Riviere  de  St. 
Amant,  221;  Sumac  River,  226; 
Indian  pageants  given  at  mouth  of, 
232. 

Saranac,  The,  lake  steamer,  4 1 8. 

Saratoga,  Burgoyne  defeated  at,  8,  119; 
should  be  a  Mecca  for  good  Ameri- 
cans and  Britishers,  288. 

Saratoga,  The,  of  Macdonough's  Heet, 
163,  164,228. 

Saskascheiqualie  Creek,  279. 

Saxon  and  Gaul  wrestle,  I  68. 

Scalping  began  at  Crown  Point,  394. 

Scar  Face  a  direct  descendant  from 
Eunice  Williams,  427. 

Schenectady,  Retaliation  for  burning  of, 
34,  152;  the  burning  of,  152,  228; 
expedition  which  destroyed,  came  and 
went  by  the  Lake,  390-91. 

Schuyler,   Captain  John,   Expedition   in 

1690  under,  4,  34.  152,  391;  on 
Sept.  2,  1  698,  5 ;  at  Isle  La  Motte. 
315,  391  ;  captured  La  Prairie.  391  ; 
bearer  of  letters  from  Gov.  Bellomont 
to  Fronlenac,   392. 

Schuyler,    Major    Peter,    Expedition    in 

1691  under,  4-5,  34;  at  Isle  La 
Motte,  315;  pursued  raiders  in  I  693, 
391  ;  carried  copy  of  Treaty  of 
Ryswick  to  Quebec,  392. 

Schuyler,  General  Philip,  in  expedition 
with  Gen.  Robert  Montgomery,  in 
1775,   5,   6,    118;    returned  to  Al- 


bany, 6;  expedition  of  1691  of. 
captured  Fort  La  Prairie.  152; 
blamed  for  the  fall  of  Ticonderoga. 
162;  patience  and  dignity  of,  162, 
228;  in  vision  of  the  past,  305.  308; 
met  Gen.  Montgomery  at  Isle  La 
Motte,  3  1  6. 

Schuyler  family.  Services  rendered  the 
colony  by  the,  392. 

Schuyler's  Island,  Benedict  Arnold  an- 
nounced loss  of  his  vessels  from,  23; 
fashioned  like  a  tear,  221. 

Science,  Modern,  began  with  Bacon, 
329;  changes  in  life  of  man  through 
wizardry  of,  330. 

ScoLLARD,  Clinton. —  Song  for  the 
Tercentenary  of  Lake  Champlain, 
1 32-36. 

Scononton,  Frowning,  221. 

Scotch  Highland  Regiment  of  Montreal. 
See  Fifth  Royal  Canadian  High- 
landers. 

Scotchmen  and  Englishmen  knit  together, 
204. 

Scotchmen  and  Vermonters,  283,  293. 

Sculpture,  The  masterpieces  of.  before 
1609.  332. 

Sea  of  the  Iroquois.   1  33. 

Seaport,  A  Canadian,  in  the  middle  of 
the  continent,  246. 

Seaports,  Canadian,  on  the  Pacific 
ocean,  246. 

Second  Regiment,  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  Col. 
James  W.  Lester,  in  camp  at  Platts- 
burgh  Barracks,  77;  in  parade  and 
review,  77,  232;  relieved  by  First 
Regiment,  N.  G.  N.  Y..  78;  list  of 
officers  of,  present,  81-83;  band  of, 
also  in  parade,  83 ;    escort  to  Second 


524 


Analytical  Index 


division    in    parade    at    Plattsburgh, 
232. 

Seigniories.     See  Grants,  Seigniorial. 

Seligman,  Isaac  N.,  Treasurer  of  the 
Hudson-Fulton  Commission,  336. 

Senecas,  one  of  the  Five  nations,  208. 

Settlements  begun  on  Lake  Champlain, 
5 ;  following  French  and  Indian 
War.  6. 

Settlements,  French,  within  the  Province 
of  New  York,  left  no  impression,  2. 

Settlers  not  soldiers  build  empires,  2 1 4. 

Seven  Years'  War,  The.  156.  363; 
Parkman  on,  156. 

Severance.  Frank  H.,  chosen  Secretary 
of  the  New  York  State  Commission, 
22.  40. 

Severance,  Frank  Hayward. — 
Episodes  in  the  history  of  the  Cham- 
plain  valley.  385-400;  What  early 
travelers  said  of  the  Champlain  val- 
ley, 403-23. 

Seymour.  Edmund,  Assistance  rendered 
by.  61. 

Shackleton.  Ernest  H..  Champlain  the 
equal  of.  304.  306. 

Shales,  The  Utica  and  Hudson  River, 
378-79;  on  the  low  shores  of  Ver- 
mont. 379. 

Shakespeare.  The  common  right  to,  a 
binding  force.  295. 

Sham  battle  at  Crown  Point.  90.  117; 
at  Ticonderoga.  90,  1 39. 

Shattuck,  L.  E..  in  charge  of  Publicity 
Bureau,  59. 

Shea,  James,  member  of  New  York 
Commission,  50,  52;  on  committees, 
51-52;    remarks  of.  at  Ticonderoga. 


1  77;    on  Committee  on  Location  and 

Cost  of  Monument.  339. 
Shelburne  Bay,  226. 
Sherman,   James   S.,   Absence   of,    68; 

from  the  banquet,  237. 
Shields,  Armorial,  on  Champlain  memo- 
rial, 347. 
Shirley,  Gen.,  opposed  move  against  the 

French  on  the  Lake,  393. 
Shoemaker,  Ira  H.,  Assistance  rendered 

by,  61. 
Sibley,  Hon.  Joseph  C,  Assistance  ren- 
dered by,  61  ;    loaned  the  Valcour  to 

the  Commission,  77. 
Siesta,  New  York  has  introduced  a,  235. 
Silliman.  Augustus  E.,  gives  pen  pictures 

of  scenery  and  incident,  418. 
Silurian   time.   Closing   stage   of   marine 

conditions  in  the  ancient,   378. 
Skene,  Major  Philip,  settled  at  Skenes- 

borough,  6. 
Skenesborough,    now   Whitehall,    settled 

by    Major    Philip    Skene,    6;     boats 

built  at,  6;    Isaac  Weld  at,  403. 
Slafter,  Edmund  F.,  Memoir  of  Samuel 

Champlain,  356. 
Smith,  Alexander  R.,  engaged  to  assist 

the  Commission,   58;    on  Committee 

on  Badges,  52. 
Smith,  Miss  Dorothea,  unveiled  Boulder 

Monument,  333. 
Smith,  Mrs.  Edward  Curtis,  presided  at 

dedication    of    Boulder    Monument, 

333. 
Smith,  William,  of  New  York,  on  Gen. 

Johnson's  army,  153-54. 
Sobapsqua,    "  the   cloven   way,"    Indian 

name  for  Split  Rock,  226. 


Analytical  Index 


525 


Social  forces.  Impress  of,  dependent  on 

extent  and  permanency,  2. 
Society  of  Daughters  of   1 81 2,  Tablet 

presented  by,  335. 
Society  of  the  Colonial  Wars  in  the  State 

of  New  York,  Resolution  of  the,  30- 

31. 
Soldiers  of  England  and  of  the  United 

States  marching  together,  257. 
Son  of  Man,   The,  title  of  the  world- 
poem,  332. 
Song    for    the    Tercentenary    of    Lake 

Champlain    (CLINTON  Scollard), 

132-36. 
Sorel,    Capt.,   met    "  embassy "    of   In- 
dians, 388. 
Sorel,  or  Richelieu,  River,  fixed  upon  as 

boundary,  24,  382. 
South,  The  solid,  284. 
South  American  republics,  329. 
South    Carolina    sent    men    against    the 

French,  214. 
Spain,  Decline  of  the  power  of,  2 1 0-|  I . 
Spain  and  Portugal,  Claims  of,  to  Am- 
erican continent,  not  recognized,  1  09. 
Spaniard,  The,  burned  for  achievement, 

271. 
Spanish  Empire,  Growth  of  the,  in  North 

and  South  America,  265. 
Spanish  navigators,  355. 
Spectacular  entertainments.  The,  highly 

instructive,   62. 
"  Spectator  **  on  the  Indian  pageants  in 

the  Outlook,  88-90. 
Speeches,  Difficulty  in  three,  a  day,  282, 

291. 
Spies  in  moose  skin,  88.     See,  also.  The 

Libretto  of  Hiawatha,  the  Mohawk, 

427-63. 


Split  Rock  in  Champlain's  course,  1  48, 
222  ;  called  Sobapsqua,  "  the  cloven 
way,"  226;  as  a  site  for  the  monu- 
ment, 341,  342;  called  "  Re-giocli- 
me,"  389 ;  marked  boundary  between 
Mohawks  and  Algonquins,  222,  389; 
depth  of  Lake  off,  420. 

Stadacona,  Indian  village  where  now 
stands  Quebec,  207;  Iroquois  driven 
from,  427. 

Stafford,  Wendell  P. — Address  of, 
at  Isle  La  Motte,  326-32 :  The  year 
1609,  326;  Champlain,  voyager, 
scholar,  soldier,  327;  Caniaderi 
guarunte,  327;  the  highway  of  war. 
328;  the  conjurer's  wand,  328-29; 
marvels  of  300  years,  329;  modern 
science,  329 ;  life  of  common  men 
bettered,  329-30;  forms  of  govern- 
ment changed,  330;  changes  in  the 
life  of  man,  330;  Democracy  tri- 
umphant, 331;  education,  331;  the 
world-poem,  the  Son  of  Man,  332; 
the  things  that  never  change,  332. 

Stanley,  Sir  Henry  M.,  Champlain  the 
equal  of,  304,  306. 

Stansbury,  P.,  describes  old  fort  at 
Chambly,  409;  woodcuts  in  book  of, 
engraved  by  first  American  wood  en- 
graver, 409. 

Stark,  John,  saved  Fort  William  Henry, 
155. 

State  Department,  Washington,  Commit- 
tee to  arrange  with,  the  sending  of 
official  and  diplomatic  invitations,  57~ 
58. 

State  efficiency,  A  rivalry  of,  261. 

Steam  navigation.  The  I  00th  anniversary 
of,  on  Lake  Champlain,  36. 


526 


Analytical  Index 


Steamboat,    The    second,    launched    on 

Lake  Champlain,  266. 
Steamers,   The  Champlain,   408.  411- 

13.  416-18. 
Steele.  Lt.  George  W.,  Jr.,  U.  S.  N.,  in 
command  of  flotilla,   76,  85;  thanks 
of  Commissioners  due  to,  76. 
Stetson,  Hon.  Francis  Lynde,  Assistance 

rendered  by,  61. 
Stevens,  C.  A.,  at  hearing,  341. 
Stone,  Arthur  F.,  member  of  Vermont 

Commission,  52. 
Story  of  Lake  Champlain,  The  (HAM- 
ILTON Wright  Mabie),   147-65. 
For  analysis,  see  author  entry. 
Stotesbury,    Capt.    Louis    W.,    Seventh 
Regiment  N.  G.,  A.  D.  C.  to  Gov. 
Hughes,  76. 
Stranahan,    Mrs.    F.   Stewart,   delivered 

address  of  welcome,  333. 
Street,    Lt.-Col.    D.    R.,    commanding 
Governor-General's  Foot  Guards,  78. 
Struggle,  The  decisive,  begun,  156. 
Stuart,  James,  on  the  lake  steamer  Fran/f- 

/in.  413. 
Sub-Committee  of  the  New  York  Com- 
mission   appointed,    22-23;     confer- 
ence of,  with  Secretary  of  State,  Elihu 
Root,  25-26;    resolutions  of,  adopted 
at  joint  meeting  of  Commissions  at  Al- 
bany, 26. 
Sub-Committee  of  the  Vermont  Commis- 
sion recommend  a  celebration,  29. 
Suggestions,  Sundry,  for  the  celebration, 

27. 
Sullivan,    Gen.    John,    abandoned    con- 
quest of  Canada,  6;    fortified  Point 
au  Far,  24. 


Sulpicians  of  Montreal,  Rev.  Abbe 
Lecocq,  Superior  of  the,  303. 

Sumac  River,  Indian  name  of  the 
Saranac,  226. 

Swanton,  The  Indians  salute  the  cross  at, 
305.  307;  half-breed  settlement  at. 
328;  celebration  at,  334;  local  so- 
cieties from,  at  Isle  La  Motte,  312. 

Swanton  Falls.  Settlement  at.  6. 

Sweden,  No  New,  in  America.  211. 

TADOUSAC.  Failure  of  settlement 
at,  210.  215,  217;  Champlain 
in  harbor  of,  356,  357. 
Taft,  President  WiLLIAM  HOW- 
ARD.— Arrived  at  Bluff  Point,  75; 
escorted  from  Smith  M.  Weed's 
house  to  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  75; 
reviewed  Canadian,  regular,  and 
State  troops,  78;  at  the  review 
at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  78;  at 
Ticonderoga,  1  39 ;  taken  to  Platts- 
burgh, I  39 ;  remarks  of,  at  Ticonder- 
oga, 185-87:  Three  nations  in  cele- 
bration. 1  85  ;  Champlain  a  man  of 
all  nations.  185-86;  the  people  of 
lower  Canada,  186;  the  Belgium  of 
America,  186;  the  only  passageway, 
186-87.  Flowers  presented  to,  by 
little  girls  at  Cliff  Haven,  193; 
address,  193-95:  Compliments  and 
enthusiasm,  1 93 ;  conversion  of  the 
Filipinos,  1 94 ;  inspiring  statue  of 
Legaspi  and  Erdinator,  194;  relig- 
ious tolerance,  194;  representative 
of  the  United  States  at  the  Vatican, 
194-95.  Jusserand  on  the  colonial 
spirit  of  Champlain  in,  202 ;  loved 
and     respected     in     Canada,     204; 


Analytical  Index 


527 


welcome  at  Murray  Bay,  205. 
Remarks  at  Plattsburgh  Barracks, 
230:  On  Senator  Root's  address, 
230;  the  people  of  Canada,  230; 
success  of  the  celebrations,  230;  re- 
viewed parades,  232.  Banquet  to,  at 
Hotel  Champlain,  233-49;  speech  at 
the  banquet,  235-37;  congratulations 
to  New  York  and  Vermont  on 
strengthening  our  foreign  relations, 
235;  on  a  siesta,  235-36;  thanks 
to  the  Scotch  Highland  Regiment, 
236;  conservation  of  our  Govern- 
ment, 236;  progress  in  many  direc- 
tions, 236-37;  conservation  of  our 
resources,  237;  faith  in  the  Consti- 
tution, 237;  indestructible  union  of 
indestructible  states,  237. —  James 
Bryce  on,  24 1  ;  Rodolphe  Lemieux 
on,  243;  reception  of,  at  Burlington, 
254-55;  and  the  Panama  canal, 
270;  remarks  of,  at  Burlington,  278- 
79.  Summons  to  Washington  dis- 
obeyed, 278;  three  generations  of  an- 
cestors Vermonters,  278;  site  for  a 
monument  to  Champlain,  236,  279; 
a  unique  and  many-sided  memorial, 
279;  three  great  powers  met  in 
amity,  279;  lesson  of  the  continuous 
show,  279;  the  burnt  offering,  282; 
George  Fred  Williams  on  "  ferocious 
hospitality,"  282 ;  evil  of  three 
speeches  a  day,  282;  the  Vermonter 
a  safe  man,  283 ;  no  deserted  farms 
in  Vermont  to-day,  283;  solidity  on 
sectional  lines,  284 ;  ladies  at  the  ban- 
quet, 284 ;  effect  of  this  memorial  on 
international  relations,  284 ;  prosper- 
ity of  the  Dominion,  285 ;  Governor 


Hughes  on,  286;  M.  Jusserand  on, 
294;    left  for  Washington.  297. 

Taft  arch.   The,   at  Cliff   Haven,    191. 

Tahawas,  Indian  name  of  Mt.  Marcy, 
226. 

Tariff,  The  lure  of  the,  289. 

Taylor,  Hon.  John  C.  R.,  member  of 
New  York  Commission,  22,  40. 

Tenth  Regiment.  N.  G.  N.  Y..  Col. 
John  I.  Pruyn,  in  camp  at  Crown 
Point,  77,  136;  movements  and  re- 
views of,  by  Governor  and  President, 
77,  136;  list  of  officers  of,  present, 
83-84;  band  of,  also  participated  in 
exercises,  84. 

Thanksgiving  for  peace.  A,  Champlain 
Sunday,  97. 

Third  Brigade,  National  Guard,  N.  Y., 
List  of  officers  of,  headquarters  of. 
present  at  the  celebration,  81. 

Thirty  Years'  War,  Effects  of,  in  Ger- 
many, 211. 

Thomas,  Governor,  Address  at  dedica- 
tion of  Boulder  Monument,  333-34. 

Thomas,  Rev.  John  M.,  member  of  Ver- 
mont Commission,  52;  prepared  Or- 
der of  service  for  Champlain  Sunday, 
93-101;  prayer  at  exercises  at  Isle 
La  Motte,  July  9,  312-13;  chair- 
man of  joint  meeting  with  N.  Y, 
Committee,   345-46. 

Thompson,  Col.  Robert  M.,  Assistance 
of,  acknowledged,  61  ;  received  and 
entertained  President  Taft  and  party 
at  Ticonderoga,   1  39. 

Thornton,  Major  John,  followed  Cham- 
plain's  route,  419;  took  note  of  trav- 
eling   companions,    and   fine  officials. 


528 


Analytical  Index 


419-20;    praised  Westport  and  vis- 
ited Lake  George,  420. 
Three    Rivers,   Champlain   passed     the, 

356. 
Ticonderoga,  Loss  of,  in   1759  by  the 
French,   2-3,    363,    396;   defeat  of 
General    Abercromby   at,   by  Mont- 
calm. 3,  34,  1  34,  395-96;  the  French 
fall    back    from,    3,    34-35.    328. 
396;  Fort  Carillon  built  at,  in  1  755, 
5  ;    Dieskau's  expedition  to,  5  ;    cap- 
lure  of,  by  Ethan  Allen  and  the  Green 
Mountain    Boys,     6,   34,    57,    160, 
396;  troops  assembled  at,  6;    visited 
by  the  Commissioners,  25  ;   celebration 
exercises  to  be  held  at,  27,  366;  suc- 
cessive owners  of,  32-33;   a  landmark 
that  should  be  preserved,  35  ;   meeting 
of  the  Commission  at,  58;    fireworks 
at,  on  successive  evenings,  60;  dock 
at,   rebuilt.   62;   Bi-State  programme 
of  celebration  at,  64;    Lord  George 
Augustus   Howe's  remains   found  in, 
74;    Indian    pageants  given  at,  86; 
captured     by     the     Indians     of     the 
pageants  in  a  sham  battle,  90;    Bur- 
goyne  reduced,  1  19,  161-62;    a  fre- 
quent   battle-ground,    124;     happen- 
ings at,  126;    stronghold  of  three  na- 
tions,    141;    plan    to    capture,    161. 
Tuesday,    July    6,    the    celebration. 
139-87:     Arrival   of   President   and 
guests.   1  39 ;    ruins  of  stronghold,  the 
Revenge,   military  review,   and  sham 
battle,   139;    lunch  on  the  Ticonder- 
oga,   1 39 ;     local   celebration   at   the 
village,  139-40;    French  and  British 
Ambassadors  interested  in  historic  as- 
sociations of,  140;  Introduction  to  lit- 


erary exercises  by  Senator  Henry  W. 
Hill,    140-41:      The  valley   and  its 
names,   141;    the  stronghold  of  three 
nations,   141  ;    naval  victories  and  the 
Lake,    141. —  Address   of  Governor 
Hughes,    142-45;    address  of  Gov- 
ernor Prouty.  145-46;    historical  ad- 
dress:    The    story    of    Lake    Cham- 
plain,     by     Hamilton     Wright 
Mabie,    147-65;     Ticonderoga:   A 
ballad,  by  PERCY  MacKaye,  166- 
75 ;   remarks  of  Governor  Hughes  in- 
troducing Vice-Admiral   Uriu,    1  75 
remarks  of  Vice-Admiral  Uriu,  1  75 
remarks  of  Hon.  Seth  Low,  I  76-77 
vote   at,   as   to   place   of  Champlain's 
fight    with    the    Iroquois,     176;      re- 
marks of  James  Shea,  177;    remarks 
of  David  J.  Foster,  1  77-79;   remarks 
of  Frank  Plumley,   179-80;    arrival 
of  President  Taft,   180;    remarks  of 
Ambassador      Jusserand,       1 80-83 ; 
Montcalm   at,    181-82;     remarks   of 
Ambassador  James   Bryce,    183-85; 
remarks  of  President  Taft,    185-87; 
Indian  pageants,  187;  fireworks,  187; 
Governor  Hughes  on,  1 98 ;   Governor 
Prouty   on,   201;     as   site   for   monu- 
ment, 34 1  ;    greatest  French  force  as- 
sembled at,  395 ;    Isaac  Weld  on  the 
ruins  at,  404 ;   J.  R.  Godley  charmed 
with,  417. 

Ticonderoga,  A  ballad  (Percy  MaC- 
KaYE),  166-75.  For  analysis  of. 
see  author  entry. 

Ticonderoga  Creek  claimed  as  site  of 
Champlain's  fight  with  the  Iroquois. 
74. 


Analytical  Index 


529 


Ticonderoga  Historical  Society  set  up  a 
reproduction  of  Montcalm's  cross  of 
victory,  I  40. 

Ticonderoga  village,  Local  celebration 
at.    139-40. 

Ticonderoga,  Steamer,  engaged  by  the 
Commission,  61  ;  with  President  on 
board  escorted  by  the  Manley,  76; 
transport  for  Tenth  Regiment,  N.  G. 
N.  Y.,  77;  for  official  party,  77; 
for  Fifth  U.  S.  I.  and  Governor-Gen- 
eral's Foot  Guards,  78 ;  lunch  on  the, 
at  Ticonderoga,  1  39 ;  took  Governor 
Prouty  to  Isle  La  Motte,  302. 

Ticonderoga,  The,  one  of  Macdonough's 
Heet,  228. 

Tift,  W.  C,  at  hearing.  341. 

Tiotiake,  Montreal  Island,  86. 

Tolerance  in  rehgion,  Hughes,  Taft,  and 
Gibbons  on,  1 92-96. 

Tonty,  Henri  de,   150. 

Toronto,  The  future,   147. 

Torpedo  boats  at  Isle  La  Motte,  302. 

Tour  of  inspection.  See  Historic  sites. 
Tour  of  inspection  of. 

Tracy,  Alexandre  de  Prouville  de,  and 
the  Carignan-Salieres  Regiment,  at 
dedication  of  Fort  Ste  Anne,  4,  33, 
315;  burned  Iroquois  villages,  213; 
expedition  of,  388,  389. 

Transcontinental  Railway,  The  Cana- 
dian, 246. 

Transcontinental  railways,  270. 

Transportation  lines.  Negotiations  with, 
56. 

Trappers,  The,  270. 

Travel  Magazine   for  July,    1909,   de- 
voted   to    Lake    Champlain    and    the 
celebration,  59. 
35 


Traveling  show.  A.,  73,  282;  a  modest 
member  of,  289 ;  last  performance  of, 
291. 

Traversy,  Capt.  de,  killed  by  the  Mo- 
hawks, 388. 

Treadwell,  Col.  George  C,  military 
secretary  to  Governor  Hughes,  76. 

Treaty  of  Ryswick,  Copy  of,  carried  to 
Quebec,  392 ;  followed  by  treaty  be- 
tween the  French  and  the  Five  Na- 
tions. 396. 

Treaty  of  Utrecht  made  the  valley  neu- 
tral territory,  392. 

Trembiay,  Wilfrid,  director  of  boy 
choir.  303. 

Trent  River,  365. 

Trenton  hmestone.  The,  378. 

Tribes,  The  same,  in  each  of  the  Five 
Nations,  208-9;  bonds  of  tribal 
union,  209. 

Troop  "  H  "  of  Fifteenth  Cavalry, 
Capt.  W.  T.  Littebrant,  the  personal 
escort  of  President  Taft  in  parade  at 
Plattsburgh,  232. 

Troupe,  The,  disbanded,  286. 

Trumbull,  John,  at  Crown  Point,    1 30. 

Tryon,  Governor  William,  Communica- 
tion from  Lord  Dartmouth  to,   I . 

Tubal  Cains,  The,  of  slate  and  clay, 
226. 

Turkey,  Constitutional  government  in, 
330. 

Turner,  Dr.  M.  H.,  at  hearing.  341. 

Tuttle,  Mrs.  George  Fuller,  "A  Chro- 
nological History  of  the  Champlain 
Valley,"  59. 

Twain,  Mark,  on  the  British  and  Amer- 
icans inheriting  the  earth,  239. 


530 


Analytical  Index 


Twenty-fourth  U.  S.  Infantry,  colored. 
Col.  William  Paulding,  in  parade  at 
Plattsburgh,  75.  332;  list  of  officers 
of  the,  present  at  the  celebration,  80; 
band  also  in  parade,  81. 

UNGAVA,  The  Great  Glacier  from. 
379. 

Union,  Indestructible,  of  indestructible 
states,  237. 

United  States,  President  of,  and  mem- 
bers of  his  cabinet.  Significance  of 
presence  of  the,  63,  318;  1  33d  anni- 
versary of  independence  of,  celebrated, 
74;  Canadian  regiments  reviewed  by 
President  of  the,  204;  Government 
of,  conservative,  236;  progress  in 
many  directions  in,  236;  conservation 
of  resources  of,  237;  faith  in  Con- 
stitution of,  237;  assistance  from, 
317. 

United  States,  The,  and  Canada,  Re- 
lations of,  112,  235,  241-42,  244- 
46,  273-74.  284-85;  the  host  of  the 
day,  1 65 ;  complimented  in  her  dis- 
tinguished guests,  1  85  ;  land  of  faith 
and  tolerance,  193;  and  the  Vatican, 
194-95;  England  settled,  240;  ad- 
miration of  England  for,  240;  best 
wishes  from  Province  of  Quebec  for, 
249. 

United  States  and  France,  Bond  be- 
tween, strengthened,  235. 

United  States  and  Great  Britain,  Bond 
betM'een,  strengthened,  235. 

United  States  army  and  navy.  Detach- 
ments from,  in  the  celebration,  58,  62, 
75-76. 


United  States  navy.  Flotilla  from,  under 
command  of  Lt.  Geo.  W.  Steele, 
Jr.,  76,  85 ;  fired  salutes  in  honor  of 
President  Taft  and  Governor  Hughes, 
76;  first  naval  exhibition  since  the 
Warof  1812.  85. 

University  of  Vermont,  Banquet  in  gym- 
nasium at,  280-97;  tablet  to  soldiers 
of  War  of  1812  unveiled  at.  334" 
35. 

Uriu.  Vice-Admiral  Stakichi.  reviewed 
Tenth  Reg..  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  77;  in 
full  uniform  at  the  review  at  Platts- 
burgh Barracks,  78;  remarks  of,  at 
Ticonderoga,  1  75  ;  guest  at  banquet 
to  President  Taft,  233. 

WALCOUR,  The,  with  President 
'  Taft  on  board,  escorted  by  the 
Manlcy,  76;  loaned  to  the  Commis- 
sion by  Joseph  C.  Sibley,  77. 

Valcour  Island,  Naval  engagements  be- 
gun at,  under  Benedict  Arnold,  7,  34, 
126,  134.  141,  328;  three  naval  en- 
gagements off,  23,  57;  vsTeck  of  the 
Ro^al  Savage  lies  near,  34 ;  the  ce- 
dar trees  of,  22 1  ;  points  to  the 
north.  237. 

Van  der  Heyden.  Dyrick,   390. 

Van  Ness,  Governor  Cornelius  Peter, 
entertained  Lafayette  at  Burlington, 
411. 

Van  Patten,  William  J.,  member  of 
Vermont  Commission,  52. 

Vatican,  William  H.  Taft  representative 
of  the  U.S.  at  the,   194-95. 

Vaudreuil,  Gen.  Philippe  de  Rigaud, 
jealous  of  Montcalm,  3 ;  assigned  de 


Analytical  Index 


531 


Bourlamaque  to  command  in  Cham- 
plain  valley,  3;  in  the  vision  of  the 
past.  305.  308. 

Venison,  One  must  go  to  Lake  George 
for.  395. 

Vergennes,  Celebration  at,  at  Fort  Cas- 
sin  on  Otter  Creek,  334;  James  Mon- 
roe examined  iron  works  at,  407. 

Vermont,  an  independent  republic,  3 ; 
first  Christian  worship  in,  32,  33; 
militia  from,  in  the  celebration,  58, 
62 ;  represented  by  its  executive  head, 
63;  conceived  the  idea  of  the  cele- 
bration, 15,  145,  146;  good  will  of, 
for  her  big  brother.  New  York,  146; 
set  the  pace  for  New  York  vnth  Ethan 
Allen,  177.  178;  New  York  at 
peace  with,  198;  appreciation  of,  by 
Gov.  Hughes,  259;  great  assets  of, 
its  men  and  women  and  its  scenery, 
267-68;  as  solid  as  Alabama  and 
Georgia,  284;  has  inspiration  from  a 
thousand  sons,  288;  Champlain  and 
his  associates  the  first  white  men  in, 
362;  creation  of  State,  put  end  to 
land  contests,  398. 
Vermont  Commission  for  the  300th 
Anniversary  of  the  Discovery  of  Lake 
Champlain  authorized  by  Legislature, 
15-16;  members  of  the,  16,  28; 
some  members  of,  presented  the  mat- 
ter to  Governor  Hughes,  16;  and  to 
Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier,  16;  joint  meet- 
ings with  New  York  Commission,  22, 
26;  a  permanent  organization,  to  act 
with  New  York  Commission,  28; 
prompt  to  co-operate,  29;  Sub-Com- 
mittee of,  29;  Publicity  Bureau  of, 
29. 


Vermont  Division  of  the  National  Guard 
escorted  President  and  guests,  254; 
in  parade  at  Burlington,  280;  Com- 
pany "  M  "  of.  Governor  Prouty's 
escort  at  Isle  La  Motte.  302,  333. 
Vermont  Legislature,  Joint  resolution  of, 
appointing  a  Commission,  15-16;  ap- 
proved by  Governor  Proctor,  16. 

Vermont   lineage,   one  to  be  proud  of, 

278.  282. 
Vermont,  Steamer,  Meeting  of  Vermont 
Commission  on,  345 ;  1 2th  annual 
meeting  of  N.  Y.  Historical  Associa- 
tion held  on,  4-6  October,  1910. 
423. 

Vermonter,  The,  a  safe  man,  283. 

Vermonters,  Bond  between,  278. 

Verrazano  explored  Atlantic  coast  and 
claimed  it  for  France,  110;  left  no 
trace,  209. 

Vessels,  The  small,  of  Magellan, 
Champlain,  and  Cortez,    186. 

Victoria  bridge.  Towers  of,  from  Isle  La 
Motte,  221. 

Vigne,  Godfrey  T.,  gives  pleasant  pic- 
tures, 414. 

Vincennes  owes  name  to  Chevalier  de 
Vincennes,  272. 

Virginia,  general  name  for  the  coasts  of 
North  America,   I  1 0. 

Virginia   sent  men   against   the   French, 

214. 

Vivian,  H.  Hussey,  Hurried  American 

tour  of,  422. 
Voltaire  on  the  Seven  Years'  War,  1  5  6. 
Voyageur,   Figure  of  a,  on  Champlain 

memorial,  347. 


532 


Analytical  Index 


WABASH  River,   French  military 
post  on  the,   ill. 

Wadhams,  Commodore,  on  Committee 
on  Naval  Parades,  51. 

Wadsworth,  J.  W.,  Jr..  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  22,  40. 

Wahopartenie,  Indian  name  of  Mt. 
Whiteface,  226. 

Walsh,  Rt.  Rev.  Mons.  John  J.,  as- 
sisted at  vesper  service  at  Burlington 
on  Champlain  Sunday. 

War  of  1812.  Macdonough's  naval  vic- 
tory in.  8-9.  57,  163-64;  tablet  to 
soldiers  of,  unveiled  at  University  of 
Vermont,  334-35 ;  President  Monroe 
visits  sites  of  conflicts  in,  407;  Mr. 
Beaufoy  writes  at  length  of,  412. 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Canadians  in  the, 
294. 

Ware,  Franklin  B.,  Report  of,  on  site  for 
monument,  341. 

Warner,  Colonel  Seth,  captured  Crown 
Point.  6,  34.  118,  119,  130;  Ver- 
monters  have,  198,  258.  259;  in  vis- 
ion of  the  past,  305,  308;  Boulder 
Monument  to,  33. 

Warwick,  Historical  pageant  at,   1 3. 

Washington,  George,  Plaudits  of,  for 
Benedict  Arnold's  naval  engagements, 
7;  centennial  of  inauguration  of,  13; 
opened  the  gales  of  the  Great  West 
and  the  Far  East,  156;  and  Charles 
Lee,  1  60 ;  the  patient  star  of,  1  72 ; 
small  number  of  men  under,  177; 
brought  order  out  of  confusion,  213, 
245. 

Water  conditions.  Momentous  change  in, 
381. 


Waterways,  The  oldest,  on  earth,  374. 

Weaver,  William  R.,  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  50,  52;  on  commit- 
tees, 51-52;  on  Committee  on  a 
Separate  Memorial,  344. 

Webber.  Charles  A.  Arch  called  Taft 
arch  erected  by.   191. 

Wedge  that  splits  the  sky.  Mount 
Marcy.  226. 

Weed,  Hon.  Smith  M..  Assistance  ren- 
dered by.  61  ;  President  Taft  at 
house  of,  75 ;  entertained  the  distin- 
guished guests  at  luncheon.   197. 

Weld,  Charles  Richard,  on  Lake  in  a 
pall  of  smoke.  406. 

Weld.  Isaac,  described  the  Champlain 
valley,  36;  journey  of,  403-4;  on 
Vermont  hospitality,  404;  on  Ticon- 
deroga.  404;  on  ruins  at  Crown 
Point.  404;  Chimney  Point.  404-5; 
experiences  on  the  Lake.  405  ;  stopped 
by  a  British  brig.  405-6;  driven 
ashore  at  Isle  aux  Noix,  406;  an 
invaluable  record.  406. 

Wellington  at  Waterloo.  1  60. 

West.  Settlement  of  the,  due  to  Cana- 
dians, 272. 

Western  Hemisphere,  The,  in  1609. 
329. 

What  early  travelers  said  of  the  Cham- 
plain valley  (FranK  H.  SEVER- 
ANCE), 403-23. 

Whig  and  Tory.  The  American  Revo- 
lution a  grapple  between.  330. 

Wliite  Chevalier,  The.  1  67. 

White,  Hon.  Horace,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor. Assistance  rendered  by.  61. 

White  man.  The  first,  on  New  York 
territory.   1,  215. 


Analytical  Index 


533 


White  mountains.  Charms  of  the  coun- 
try around  the,  267. 

Whitehall,  Two  shipyards  and  two  dry- 
docks  at,  418;  W,  C.  Bryant  at. 
418. 

Whitehall,  The,  lake  steamer,  4 1  8. 

Whites,  First  attempted  settlement  of,  at 
Isle  La  Motte,  4. 

Whittier's  "  Centennial  Poem,"  Begin- 
ning of,  125. 

Wickes,  F.  B.,  at  hearing,  341. 

Wiley.  W.  G.,  at  hearing,  341. 

Williams,  David,  offered  land  on  Mt. 
Defiance  as  site  for  memorial,  34 1 . 

Williams,  Eunice,  Scar  Face,  a  descend- 
ant of,  acted  in  the  Indian  pageant, 
89,  427. 

Williams,  Col.  Ephraim,  in  Gen.  John- 
son's army,  154;  killed  in  fight  with 
Dieskau,    1 54. 

Williams,  George  Fred,  on  the  ferocious 
hospitality  of  Memphis,  282. 

Willsborough,  Burgoyne  feasted  Indians 
at,  8. 

Willsborough  Point,  127;  an  impossible 
location  for  Champlain's  battle  with 
the  Iroquois,  128. 

Windmill  Point,  International  conference 
at,     I,    24;      settlement    with    stone 
windmill    at,    5,    24,    220,    316; 
Arnold  encountered  Indians  at,  316; 
the  French  at,  328. 

Winooski,  Local  societies  from,  at  Isle 
La  Motte,  312. 

Winooski  River,  Deerfield  raiders 
ascended  the,   396. 

Winthrop,  John,  Governor  of  Connecti- 
cut, sent  spies  to  Lake  Champlain, 
390. 


Witherbee,  Frank  S.,  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  22,  40;  on  Sub- 
Committee,  23;  at  conference  with 
Secretary  Roof,  25,  43;  acknowl- 
edgment of  assistance  rendered  by, 
61. 

Witherbee,  Walter  C,  member  of  New 
York  Commission,  50,  52;  treasurer 
and  auditor,  51,  52;  on  committees, 
51,  52;  and  Mr.  Myers  visited 
Washington  to  arrange  official  invita- 
tions through  State  Department,  57- 
58;  and  Mr.  Pell  visited  Governor's 
Island,  58;  and  Mr.  Hill  visited 
Washington  in  regard  to  Federal  co- 
operation, 59;  chairman  of  Commit- 
tee to  Raise  the  Ro\)al  Savage,  85- 
86;  presided  at  Literary  exercises  at 
CroviTi  Point  forts,  1  17-36;  welcome 
and  introduction  of  Governor  Hughes, 
117-18;  introduced  Seth  Low,  119; 
introduced  Albert  C.  Barnes,  125; 
conferred  with  Governor  Hughes  on 
site  for  monument,  341  ;  chairman  of 
Committee  on  Erection  of  Memorial  at 
Crown  Point,  343;  at  meeting  at 
Block  House,  Fort  Ticonderoga, 
345. 

Witherbee,  Sherman  &  Co.  gave  site  of 
forts  at  Crown  Point  to  State  of 
N.  Y..  344. 

Wittenmeyer,  Capt.  E.,  of  Fifth  U.  S. 
I.,  chief  of  staff  to  the  grand  marshal 
in  Plattsburgh  parade,  232. 

Wolfe,  Maj.-Gen.  James,  victorious  at 
Quebec,  124,  158;  honored  with 
Montcalm,  183;  on  Gray's  elegy, 
184;     men    like,    rare,    184,    186; 


534 


Analytical  Index 


backed    by    men    fighting    for    their 

homes,  214. 
Wonakakatuk,  Indian  name  of  the  Otter 

River.  226. 
Wood,  Maj.-Gen.  Leonard,  commander 

Department  of  the  East,  75. 
Woodford,  General  Stewart  L.,  president 

of    the    Hudson-Fulton    Commission, 

336. 
World-poem,  The  title  of  the.  the  Son 

of  Man.  332. 
Wren.  J.  W..  at  hearing.  341. 


Wright,  Miss  Frances,  gives  chapter  on 
Battle  of  Plattsburgh,  408;  records 
destruction  of  the  Phoenix,  408. 

Wright,  Orville  and  Wilbur.  331. 

XAINTONGEOIS.  Long  live  the. 
217. 

YEAR  1609.  The.  326.  329. 
Years.  Three  hundred.  135,  329. 
Yorktov^Ti.    Centennial   of,    13;    number 
of  men  Washington  had  at,  1  77. 


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